(un)heralded
by Dennys
Summary: To be unheard of, despite your incredible achievements, to have stayed in the background, whilst those in the forefront received the credit, this is the life of Satoru Narita, a high school student who managed to get his hands on Sword Art Online, the game that changed his life, as well as many others. Watch as these esoteric heroes, come together and change their futures, forever.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

 **Chiba High School**

 **11:00 AM**

 **Satoru Narita**

* * *

" _Achoo_!"

The boy sniffled, pouting and wrinkling his nose, the remnants of his sneeze wilting away.

"Ugh, what the-"

"Yo, you alright?" the voice of a friend entered into his ringing ears. He sniffed again and rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah... yeah." he said, clearing his sinuses and shaking off whatever in the world that was.

Turning around to address his buddy and the team of players before him, the boy's vision cleared. He was standing before another young man, 16-years of age with dyed blonde hair, faded into brown as it trimmed down while reaching the sides of his head. The guy eyed his friend with a questioning gaze. His auburn eyes ran over the brown-haired boy's figure once, then twice, before he frowned, crossing his arms over a yellow jersey, and bending a well-toned leg.

"You sure, Satoru?" He asked again, raising an eyebrow.

He wouldn't receive an answer right away, as the boy in question looked up to the sky.

It was a partly cloudy day today, just cool enough for him to bust out his long-sleeved compression shirt. The black fabric clung to his skin tightly underneath his mock jersey, the number 20 emblazoned in blocky black letters on the back of the yellow tee.

Satoru rung out his wrists and legs as he got his bearings.

Chiba high school's soccer field, the bleachers cleared, and the wind a mild tickle. He smirked and nodded, letting out a long breath as he walked passed Ichiru, raising his fist.

"Don't worry, man. I'm cool. Let's give this play another run before we let out."

Ichiru took a glance at the fist, before nodding, bumping his with his friend's.

"Alright," he said, before addressing the rest of the team, cupping his left hand along the left side of his mouth as he used his other to gesture towards the large group. The number 23 was lettered in the same pattern on his jersey.

"You heard 'im, reset! One more run!"

There followed a resounding yell of approval as the team of yellow jerseys got back to work. Saturdays or Sundays, the Chiba High soccer team took no days off. If they were going to win regionals, they couldn't afford to waste time. Not even today, the day _before_ the greatest all of days. Oh yeah, they didn't forget.

Who could?

 **12:30 PM**

 **Sunday**

* * *

"See ya next week, Satoru!" a chorus of similar cries said. The boy waved with an easy smile at his departing teammates and slipped on his left shoe, checking the time. Half past twelve? He was gonna be late! Hopping around, the soccer captain managed to slide his sock over his left foot; then in it went into his sneakers.

Twelve thirty-one.

"Come on, where are you?"

Thankfully, a few minutes later, Ichiru came out the locker room. The boy was drying his blonde hair, with a wry grin plastered across his face, the one he usually wore after a good practice. He waved to his friend and tossed him the towel.

"Hair's still wet dude."

Satoru caught the cloth absentmindedly, beginning to dry his hair with a sigh. Once it dried, it resumed to be the curly mess of brown everyone recognized it to be. He whipped the cloth over his shoulder and slapped Ichiru's arm.

"Thanks, but come on man!" He said and jogged for the entrance of the school.

Ichiru raised an eyebrow, before his eyes widened. "Oh, crap! Today's the day isn't it?!"

"Haha, duh! Let's go let's go!"

The two teammates soon sprinted out of school grounds and towards their homes within the city, making sure to abide by the laws in place for them to, you know, _not_ get run over by an oncoming vehicle. Seriously, these drivers around here _literally_ didn't care.

Unfortunately, they managed to get stopped at a traffic light on the way, having to wait until all the various forms of transportation passed by.

Satoru bounced on the tips of his toes, grinning like mad. He couldn't wait to get home. Like Ichiru said, Today _was_ the day! The day gaming got a whole lot cooler, and _way_ more immersive. Glancing out the corner of his eye, Satoru noticed Ichiru bouncing in a similar fashion.

He dissolved into laughter, clutching his stomach "Dude, what're you so hyped for?" he managed to ask, stopping his hopping.

Ichiru caught himself mid-jump, chuckling as he ceased his own bouncing.

"I dunno, man. Just can't wait for you to try it out! Can't believe your mom let you get it!"

" _Yeah_ ," Satoru shrugged with a content smile. "Considering me begging my spawn-of-Satan elder sister to tutor me all month, the corresponding upkeep with grades, _and_ the fact that we won our last game? The woman couldn't say no!"

"Yes, she most _definitely_ could've." Ichiru deadpanned.

Satoru deflated like an airless balloon. "Yeah... yeah she could've."

Ichiru laughed and slipped his hands into the pockets of his sweats. The two watched the vehicles come and go in silence for a few seconds, before he asked, "So where's Akane? Didn't see her on the field today."

Satoru shrugged; shoulder shifting his bag full of soccer gear to a more comfortable position. "I told you. She's home packing. Remember? She's going on that trip to Hokkaido tomorrow."

Ichiru whistled and raised his hands behind his head, looking to the sky. "Oh _yeah_. Man, that must be fun. At least it's way better than what Ryuji's been doing. The dude stayed home... _again_ , as usual. He doesn't want to leave the place."

Satoru's shoulders bopped up and down once more, and he burrowed his hands into the pockets of his windbreaker. "What's new? He's been like that since the start of junior high," he sighed, watching the countdown of the pedestrian light at the other end of the street reach ten.

 _'Then again, who could blame him?'_

Satoru lowered his head at the thought, his eyes traveling to the ground, then focusing on his sneakers. His brain slowly began to slip into the depths of subconsciousness, and he-for some apparent reason-began to reminisce about random parts of his life.

He acknowledged the blank spaces he never seemed to be able to fill, the events that shaped the person he was today, the family he had...

And the family he didn't.

Memories upon memories washed upon the shores of his psyche, and the mind-numbing zooming of the vehicles that passed seemed to unhinge recollections of things he thought were long forgotten.

...Things.

Things that... he thought were-

"Satoru!"

Jolted out of his thoughts, Satoru shook his head quickly. His eyes shot up to the light.

It had changed. They were able to cross.

"You really alright?" Ichiru asked. "You looked way too distant just now."

"Yeah yeah," He waved away the question. "I'm fine dude, just... trying to remember something." he said in partial truth, walking with him to the other end of the walkway.

" _Mhm_." Ichiru hummed, the disbelief evident in his voice.

As the two arrived at the other side, they bid each other farewell.

"Gotta drop off Ryuji's homework before heading home. Make sure you don't phase out and like, fall into a garbage can or something alright?"

"Oh shut up." Satoru rolled his eyes at the friend's light jab. Ichiru chuckled and waved goodbye heading right.

"Tell me how it was alright?! Like everything!" he called out.

Satoru nodded and waved. "I will tomorrow! Just focus on getting it yourself!"

"Yeah yeah!"

The boy sighed, letting an exasperated, yet content smile slip onto his features. As soon as Ichiru was out of sight, Satoru turned and started on his way home. Along the way, he found himself transitioning from a walk to a saunter, then to a jog, and finally cascading into an all-out sprint!

He didn't even know how anxious he really was until he finally appeared at his house, opening the small gate and getting the mail in one go. He closed the metal flap behind him and rushed into the house, quickly slipping his shoes off and tossing the bundle of mail on the table, screaming out to anyone in the house.

"I'm home!"

He then noticed his mom frowning at him from the kitchen at the end of the hall, her short brown hair adorning then sides of her face, and equally brown eyes

"Inside voice, Satoru." she said curtly.

Satoru clamped his hands over his mouth and nodded as he was greeted by the family's Japanese Akita puppy, Hokuto. The young canine barked, his curled tail wagging back and forth as his tongue hung out the left side of his mouth. The boy grinned.

"Hey boy." He mumbled, dropping to a crouch and scratching behind his ears, before looking back to his mother. "Sorry, mom. Where's Seya and Maiko?"

"Seya had a meeting with the student council, but she should be home any moment now. She shook her hands and reached for a towel. "Maiko's at Hana's house." She quickly glanced at one of the house's wall clocks.

"And I have to get back to the station soon."

"Right." Satoru sighed, heading towards the stairs, Hokuto in tow.

His mother was a detective for the Chiba Prefectural Police. She didn't really come home until eight or so, though she'd pass by the house once or twice before she actually came home to check on them.

She worked hard, that was indisputable, everyone knew it.

"Going to try it out now?" she asked, tying her hair up into a manageable bun, a knowing smirk aimed at her son. Satoru was already halfway up the steps. Wow, way too predictable. Either that or she was just _really_ good at being his mother.

"Yeah, the servers finally open today and it's twelve fifty-three. I want to get on. Don't worry, I'll do my homework right after I test it out. Promise."

His mom looked at him for a few moments, her brown eyes staring at him intently. The boy stared back, squinting his eyes for even _more_ dramatic flair. He was dead set on winning this battle of silence.

After a few seconds, she finally caved. "Fine, I trust you Satoru. Just make sure your homework is done by the time I get back. Alright?"

He blinked twice, lips parting in subtle awe.

Did he just win... a staring contest... with his _mom_? It was a miracle... The goddess of luck and good fortune shined upon his feeble head. Satoru nodded eagerly, mouth splitting into a bright grin as he shot up the remaining steps and into his room.

"I will!"

Hokuto barked as if thanking her as well before bounding up the steps after him.

"Oh yeah, there's some food in the fridge! Curry and Omurice! Don't touch Seya's or Maiko's! You know how they get! I'm leaving!"

"Right! Got it! Thanks!" He called downstairs, not really listening to most of what she'd said. He let Hokuto saunter in before shutting the door behind him. Satoru had kicked off his shoes at the door thankfully, if he'd forgotten that, his head would've been on a platter for his sisters instead.

Throwing his bag on the floor, the soccer player unzipped his jacket and proceeded to change into something more comfortable. Hokuto had gotten comfortable in the doggy bed by the edge his owner's. He watched the boy with energetic eyes, as Satoru put on a gray shirt and black basketball shorts.

Satoru sighed, running a hand through his curled locks. He inhaled a long breath, looking at the clock as the time changed.

"Twelve, fifty-seven." he breathed out. He couldn't stop himself from shaking, this was it.

This was the day he'd been waiting for.

Satoru's eyes landed on the dark gray, Cerebro-esque helmet that rested atop his bed, laying next to it, a cartridge for the first, real game, ever created for such a console.

The words, imprinted upon the top shouted up at him silently.

 **SWORD ART ONLINE**

He smirked.

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ASCII Media Works and Yen Press. We own only our characters and concepts.)

 **Welcome to the new story guys!**


	2. A Pair and a Plot Twist

**A Pair and a Plot Twist**

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

Streams of different colors encompassed my view as I seemed to fly into the world of Sword Art Online. Red, green, violet, yellow, blue, they all seemed to go by in a flash. It was like I was entering a portal into a new world. Which, I technically was... but considering it was my first dive ever, I was pretty psyched.

As the rainbow of cylindrical pillars passed by, what lay before and around me was a… Blank... Space..?

Simple nothingness surrounded me.

Now that I think about it, it didn't even feel like I had a body to move around in at all. Like a… a floating head. Hey! Just like that fat-headed super villain dude who hovers around on a rocket chair! Forgot his name though…

MODOK! That was it.

Okay, well. There wasn't _anything_ per say; a few streams of data passed by and went their way, minding their own business.

' _Well, what n-'_

My thoughts were cut off by a small holographic screen popping up. On it read:

" _ **Welcome to Sword Art Online."**_

" _ **At this time you will create your avatar. An avatar is the character that will portray your real life self in the world of [Aincrad]. Please make sure that you choose his/her appearance appropriately. Once you choose, it will be a while before you have the option of change or alteration."**_

" _ **Are you ready to begin?"**_

 _ **(Yes) or (No)**_

Raising an eyebrow… or at least I think I did—it felt like it; I mentally decided "Yes" and the process began.

The first thing I was asked involved my In-game ID, the name I'd be identified by within the game.

To be honest... I had no idea what to name myself.

So I simply cut off the "ru" from my first name and added an I in between the "Sa" and "to".

Saito.

It was simple, to the point, and easy to remember. I liked it.

A request of confirmation popped up. I selected my choice, and the next step appeared with the disembodied voice using my new Game ID in its echo-like speech. It was kind of cool actually, being all personal and everything. It was like the game truly cared.

Next, was my gender Male or Female?

At this point, a mirror had slowly flashed into existence in front of me, showing a person that looked exactly how I did in real life.

It was probably the calibration thingy they had me do before putting on the NerveGear... You know, the patting of the head, shoulders, knees… Toes. Eyes, and ears and mouth and nose!

Ahem.

Okay... Let me stop. _Anyways_. When I moved, my avatar did as well. Looking down, I noticed I had limbs now and I could feel around the empty space…

Man, virtual reality rocks…!

But back to the gender option… My avatar was currently a male. Well... of course it was, but I just wanted to lay the info down there.

But that nefarious female option seemed to flare my mind into producing question after guilty, but intriguing question.

' _So would I have… You know… Those…? Like…'_

I felt around my chest area, gulping.

' _Those…? I mean… No one is here, right…? No one can really judge me if I tried it… Right?'_

Oh man. Not just those, but… Down there… It would… Wouldn't it feel…

I couldn't believe my thought process right now. If I could step out of my body and knee myself in the yoohoos to remind me of what gender I actually was, I would so do it…

But oh believe me… I was tempted… Very much so. The female button was right there in front of me… Tauntingly pulsing in my direction… What should I do? How should I move on? What do I do!?

….

 **Click**

I chose "Male" and moved on…

' _What if…?'_

That would be one question I would always keep in the back of my mind… But my answer would never be given…

Ugh… Bleh… Rghh… Blech!

Shaking my body to get rid of the disgust I had for myself, I refocused on continuing with the creation of my character.

Next they asked me for:

Skin tones – My normal tone

Hair Style – Short/Shaggy

Hair Color – Brown

Eye Shape – Normal

Eye Color – Brown

Top Piece – Grey Short Sleeve Shirt

Bottom Piece – Beginners Pants

Footwear – Beginners Boots

I wasn't putting anything outlandish, considering probably everyone else would be scrambling at the seams to look like the hottest thing to ever walk on planet Earth. That was what people usually did in games like these. They did worse things too. Males chose to be girl players in-game just to get more stuff from the actual guy gamers and so on and so forth. It was sick and twisted, but sadly... it worked.

Hats off to the sickos who started that. You guys rock.

I, myself, stayed as close to my real self as possible. I wasn't playing the game for anyone but myself and my enjoyment. Nothing more, nothing less.

Anyways, after a few more tweaks and other things, I was finally done with my character. I didn't look much different than my real life self. My skin was a bit fairer but that was it really. My hair was as colored as close as I could manage to the real world, and I even styled it similarly.

Finally, after examining myself for a few moments, I clicked done, reaching the end of the Character Creation process.

Another request of confirmation was due, and I agreed to the new look. The body mirror disappeared as I was greeted by one more message.

" **Congratulations on Creating Your Character, and Welcome!"**

" **Welcome to the Expansive World of Aincrad!"**

And like that, I felt a slight tingling sensation. A radiant white light engulfed my body. It was so bright that I had to shut my eyes to keep from going blind. Which, normally would've been an exaggeration, but in this case, I wasn't kidding.

After the light faded, I was subconsciously whisked away into the World of Swords.

 **November 6, 2022**

 **Floor 1**

 **Town of Beginnings/Starting City**

The whiteness deposited me into the heart of the city. As the flash faded away, I was able to open my eyes, blinking up to see sunlight. Instantly, I brought up my hand to shade my eyes. I squinted to I look at the new world.

"Whoa…" I breathed, taking in the scenery.

Around me were thousands of players, walking, talking, entering and leaving shops... And the buildings! They were so lifelike!

Taking a step, I felt the realness of the pavement against my boot-clad right foot. Almost laughing a bit too loudly, I headed over to the wall of a random building to touch it with my own two hands.

Yup, it definitely felt real.

"Props to Kayaba… And the whole Argus team… Wow…" I mumbled aimlessly, feeling around the wall long enough until I realized I was probably being a bit weird.

Suddenly clearing my throat and backing away, I took a quick glance around to make sure no one had seen that.

Satisfied, I closed my eyes with a content smile on my face. I turned, attempting to head deeper into the city to explore.

That was when I heard her.

"Having fun aren't ya?"

… Uh-oh. No, no I wasn't having fun. Nuh-uh. Nope. Not at all.

I froze where I was; a female voice had called out from behind me.

' _Don't look! Don't look Satoru! Don't you look!'_ I mentally berated myself, adding in emphasis on the 'do not look' part. But try as I may, curiosity took over.

Thus… I looked.

Turning my body with a smile of embarrassment on my face, I tried to play it off.

"Aha! _Well_ , _you see_ , I was just wondering if everything here was actually real and I looked over and was like 'Ooh look a wall lemme tou-…"

My words were lost and my rambling had ceased as my eyes had locked onto the owner of the previous voice. Seemingly trying to keep up with my explanation, the girl standing a few yards away smiled in a confused and somewhat intrigued manner.

She had bright, wavy, carmine red hair flowing down to her mid-back. Her eyes, underneath red eyebrows, were a playful and energetic crimson color. They looked into mine, as if searching vigorously for something. I really hope that something was not the innate craziness I just showed. That would be embarrassing.

She wore a black long-sleeved shirt under a brown vest that seemed to fit to her figure quite well. She had nice... uhm… assets… atop and… _over yonder_!

… Ehehe… Heh… Eh…

She had on what looked like jeans and brown boots just like mine.

A single, but thick, strap slipped around her waist. On it hung a black sheathe, the hilt of a sword extending from her back. The pommel was rounded, and I made out a dull sparkle, maybe from a jewel.

It was probably because I had the dumbest look on my face at the time, but the girl sputtered out into quiet laughter, covering her mouth with her hand before crossing her arms with an amused smile.

"Go on, I'm listening." She urged on, taking a step back on her right foot as she raised her head, her smile widening minutely.

… Yeah… I had nothing but the tinge of red lining my cheeks.

' _She just had to be cute didn't she…?'_

"U-Uhm… Ah… Mmm…"

What could I say after embarrassing myself twice in front of this girl!? Come on Saito! Think! Use that big brain of yours!

"Uh, Eheheh… Hi…" I said awkwardly, rubbing the back of my head as I mentally beat myself like a punching bag.

' _Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!'_

However, when I looked up, the girl seemed to accept it. Her smile became more… genuine.

She nodded, lowering her hands as one rested against her hip.

"Hey." She said just as simply, walking over to close the proximity between us. When she was close enough the girl stuck out her hand, blowing some of the red locks out of her eyes. "I'm Ren." Her grin came back full force as she let her teeth shine. She had really good teeth…

What the hell is wrong with me...?

Taking her hand in my own, I shook it softly, noting her firm yet gentle grip. My smile seemed to become a bit less idiotic as I tried to cool myself off. Again, emphasis on 'a bit.'

"I-I'm Saito. Nice to meet you."

Ren smirked as we released hands. "You too, this is your first dive I'm guessing?" She asked, tilting her head to the right.

I nodded with a sigh. " _Yup_ … Everything's so-"

"Different?"

"Yeah, yet they're the same too. It's weird." I said, looking around with a small smile as I stuffed my hands into my pockets.

Ren giggled, nodding as she looked around as well. "Yeah, I get what you mean. Virtual Reality does that to newcomers. It's scary or weird at first, but soon enough you get used to it, and start to enjoy it."

"You sound like you've done this before." I said, smirking quizzically over to her.

She'd turn giving me a roll of the eyes. "Well I _was_ a beta tester so..."

"Oh… Right!" I laughed and ran my right hand through my hair. "Makes sense," I added, shaking my head at my subconscious ignorance.

Ren only laughed along, nodding her head.

" _Yup_." She said before taking a step back, crossing her arms once more as she gave me two or three once-overs.

I eyed her weirdly before looking around myself and at my body in general.

"What?" I asked, eyeing back up to her.

Her eyes flashed wide for a few moments. "Oh!" She said, plopping her right fist down in the palm of her left hand.

"That's it."

 _'Yeah? What's it?'_ I was confused.

"What is..?"

She shook her head. Placing one of her hands on her hips, she pointed to me with a finger. " _You_ don't have a weapon."

… Oh yeah… OH CRAP, YEAH!

She was right! I'd totally forgotten about that. What with all that's happened in the last five or so minutes.

Chuckling, I nodded. "Yeah you're right, know where I could find one… Ren…?" I asked, trying out the name.

It was simple, to the point, _and_ _easy to remember_.

A simple smile would cross my features as Ren nodded, waving lazily for me to follow along as she started off down the street.

"Yeah, come on. Have to meet my brother there anyways."

I'd tag along right beside her, noticing we were about the same height, though she was a bit shorter than I was, like about a few centimeters or so.

"Brother?" I asked, looking over to her with a quizzical raise of my eyebrow.

She nodded, raising her hands behind her head as she clasped them together, walking along the pebbled path.

"Yup, my little brother. He's probably still over there choosing what kit he wants."

' _Kit? All these terms…'_

I mentally sighed, though I'd let her lead. She was a beta tester anyways so she knew this world much better than I did.

Though I was anxious to see what these kits were. Though what came to mind always had something to do with a totally different subject than what I anticipated Ren was talking about.

So I kept the stupid remarks to myself and simply nodded along, following beside the girl as we headed to the "Kit Station", or, as I wanted them to be: the "Kit Kat Station."

… Weird, I swear that should've made me hungry…

Hmm.

 **Reiha (Ren) Takagi**

* * *

This new guy was interesting. He was definitely more down to Earth than the other players around here. Most of them either looked like supermodels or nobles, which would be fine if that's how they looked like in real life… Heck. Their appearance alone would've been fine with me! It's just the goddamn attitudes that come with the looks that really piss me off…

Just over-attractive guy after over-attractive guy, high maintenance girls with "absolutely stunning" looks, and a _plethora_ of snobby attitudes…

But then, here comes this boy... probably not much older than me, normal as can be.

Weird too…

I mean who spends that much time feeling around a wall…? (Insert subtle eye roll)

However, what really made him stand out from the rest of these guys was that, in the five minutes that I'd known him, he was himself. He was so out-of-the-element in a game like this, a game where you could change everything about yourself, just so people could feel attracted to you. A game where you could get anything and everything you wanted simply from how you look. It was true. I've seen it happen before… It's stupid… But it's true.

Saito, however, just stuck out like a sore thumb. He seemed to be really curious with the workings of the game, asking me questions along the way as we headed to where people acquired their "Beginner's Kit". Most of them I simply nodded or shook my head to since they were "Yes" or "No" questions, but I mostly kept quiet.

It was sunny in the Town of Beginnings. The air was fresh. Well... as fresh as it'll ever be in Virtual Reality, and at some point, Saito had stopped with the downpour of questions, leaving a surprisingly comfortable silence between us.

This gave me just enough time to glance over at him and actually take in how he looked like.

For one, his hair was a bit messy, though it looked clean too. Like a neat bedhead. It was short, brown in color, tousled down to his ears. His eyes gleamed a shade lighter brown than his hair. They bounced around from building to building as the player smiled silently. His almost lazy smile couldn't help but affect me in some way, and I found myself smiling as well. Until he caught my analyzing gaze and raised an eyebrow.

"Ah… Ren?" He asked in a rhetorical fashion.

I blinked furiously, shaking my head as I coughed into my right hand. I straightened myself while I tried to cool the light tinge of pink from my cheeks.

' _Come on Ren. Pull yourself together.'_

"Nothing. Nothing." I managed out, looking away for a few moments before my eyes landed on a familiar sight.

"Oh, we're here. That was fast."

The last part was mumbled inaudibly as I tapped Saito's arm, walking ahead while slipping my hands into my pockets.

"Come on, let's get you a weapon Mr. Walls-Deserve-A-Hug-Too." I said, hearing a huff of surprise, then playful annoyance as he followed along. That simply made me smile again.

"Oh whatever…" He sighed.

I could feel him roll his eyes as he tagged along beside me once again.

This was it. The "Kit Station" I guess you could say.

We'd arrived at a large cul-de-sac-like area slightly Midwest of center of the city. It was a circular, wide open parlor-like place with a ring of small and elegant buildings.

Wandering around the streets were NPC (Non-Player Character) maids that roamed around in search of players who had no weaponry.

These girls could tell whether or not you had a weapon... Though not like others could. They could peer into your inventory and check.

If you didn't have any they would quickly rush up to you like a telemarketer and begin to sell the different kits to you. As long as you were in the cul-de-sac they would hound you and hound you until you finally acquired a weapon. It was _really_ annoying. At one point I wanted to sock one of the maids in the face. But I guess this was Akihiko Kayaba's way of saying that you'd be much safer out there with a weapon amongst other things.

Then again, he really didn't have to be so irritating about it…

Anyways, Saito was about to experience what every player had at the beginning of the game.

We'd only taken a good few steps inside the square before an intriguing glint flashed out from the corner of my eye.

I let out a sigh, looking over to Saito with an apologetic and amused smile.

He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head at me, only to hear my words of encouragement as I stepped out of the way.

"Good luck!"

He'd learn too late, suddenly being bombarded by the hyperactive, persistent maids.

"Gah! Ren! What the hell?!"

I couldn't help but dissolve into laughter, seeing his flustered face as he tried to answer all the maids at once.

I waved in his direction as I started away from the square. "I'll go look for my brother! We can meet up again when you're done getting your weapon!"

"W-Wait!" Saito yelled back at me before turning to the needy Maids, "Ah yes yes, please wait a minute..! Ren!"

"Jaa!"

I snickered, sauntering away giddily. I relaxed my features into a sly smirk, starting off to search for my brother.

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

Geez! These maids took the words "Never give up" to a whole new level. They were like large intimidating bees that wanted to sting you and sap out all your honey!

I like my honey! Give me back my honey!

Ahem.

"Whoa, whoa! Okay, okay! I'll come with you guys! Just slow down! One at a time! Or… just really one at all…" I said, trying to calm down the energetic swarm of maid NPCs.

Hearing this, they all nodded as they spat out various programmed sentences. They then waved at me before heading over to find their next target…

God bless their soul… Er, programming..? Whatever.

However, one of them stayed. A girl with brown hair tied into neat pigtails. She had twinkling green eyes and a bright smile. Taking my arm, she said:

" **Come, let's get you a weapon!"**

"R-Right…" I sighed, being dragged along to one of the buildings within the ring lining the square.

There wasn't much of a line in front of the buildings. My guess was because of the four maids at the front of each building helping out multiple people at a time, and the other NPCs that rushed out like maniacs and looked for players themselves, any wait time was severely decreased. The process seemed quick and effective. Again, props to Argus. They really knew how to be nifty with small details like this.

It didn't take long before it was my turn. The maid clinging to my arm for the past 5 minutes finally let go and sent me a big smile before she took off again. I turned to watch her jog off back to do her directive, a small confused smile slipping onto my face.

I couldn't help it. She looked eager as ever to do her job, and though she was a program, it seemed to rub off on me just a little bit.

I took a sharp intake of breath before exhaling and turning around with a determined smile, only to bump into someone in front of me.

As my body collided with the person, I took a step back, shaking my head to clear my vision as I muttered out apologies.

"Sorry, sorry."

As I blinked over, I noticed a white haired boy glaring back at me with red irises.

"Hey, watch it dude…" He said bluntly, before shoving past me with an irritable huff and heading on his way.

Now I would've been a bit ticked off by the guy if I hadn't been so intrigued by his choice of weapon.

In his hand was a long 6 foot metal pole, curving out from the edge was a 5-foot long blade, hanging over his shoulder like a death threat in and of itself.

It took me a few moments, but I'd blinked myself back to reality. Turning, I noticed that I'd basically missed the beginning part of the speech the NPC woman was giving.

I'd come to my senses around the:

" **You will embark on grand journeys, fight powerful monsters, and meet new friends! You have warped into Floor One, Town of Beginnings!"**

"Whoa, uh, yeah." I agreed duly, trying to get what was going on again.

Oh yeah, my weapon.

The maid smiled almost understandingly at me, opening a menu from her side, before a lengthy holographic screen appeared on the table, showing different cube like shapes.

Those cube-like shapes turned out to be boxes… kits.

' _Ahh, now I get it,'_ I thought, putting on another smile of my own as I listened to the explanation the woman before me gave.

" **To start off your adventures, please select one of the following starter kits. Beware, magic is not available in the game."**

I began to scroll through the kits. There were tons of these things. Like a plethora upon a plethora of these.

There was the Miner Kit, Grandmaster Kit (kung fu, anyone?), the Chef Kit, the Noble Beast Kit (don't know what the crap that is), the Hunter Kit, the Trapper Kit, the Royal Guard Kit (medieval maybe?), the Freelancer Kit, the—wait a minute. Hold on.

' _Freelancer Kit…?'_

I thought to myself, right eyebrow raised, and pressed on the kit to see its properties.

Okay, so it came with the **One-handed Curved Sword** skill, the **Sprint** skill, and the **Acrobatics** skill.

Skills, hm..?

The kit had other thingamajigs too, but those were the things that were available to me for now, and I liked my options.

I wasn't really fond of being tied down by things like ideals, and how people should do this and that. I followed a few simple rules and that was it. The rest was in the air for me. I found my own way, and this kit seemed to speak wonders of that same recognition.

I didn't hesitate to choose the kit, pressing "Yes" twice.

Almost instantly, a sheath appeared around my waist, strapped by a thick, light brown double belt. The handle of a basic curved sword lay atop the slim scabbard, the butt of the blade glinting under the sunlight above.

"Heh... Nice." I laughed, reaching for the handle before pulling the blade from its sheath. The metal slithered against the inner surroundings of its holdings before it revealed itself. The blade was clean, about 3 feet or so in length, and it was balanced between light and heavy.

Just right.

It was a simple sword. There was nothing spectacular about it in the least. But for some reason, having it in my hand made me feel just a smudge more powerful… I don't know.

It was like a surge of energy!

I tried a few practice swings while making sure not to get in anyone's way.

Yup. This was definitely cool.

I had also acquired three new skills to my skill slot list.

 **One-handed Curved Sword** , **Sprint** , and **Acrobatics** , had appeared.

Along with those I received these:

 **Drifter's Hooded Jacket** x 1 (It added a 5% boost to my movement speed stats)

Leather Vest x 1

Health Potions x 5

Teleport Crystals x 3

The Drifter's Jacket was a pretty cool item. It was a simple waist-length, forest green, hooded zip-up jacket. I equipped it over my gear, feeling it materialize around my arms and shoulders before falling fittingly at my sides.

I couldn't help but grin. This felt too cool!

Rolling my arms a few times to get the feel of the jacket, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. I also heard the familiar voice of the one who abandoned me.

Ren.

"Wow, lookin' good." She said blatantly.

I turned just in time to see her grin brightly at me.

You see... I was going to pout, but… I don't know. Something… Something about her smile seemed to… Melt away those other feelings. The most I could do was stare blankly at her before blinking back to the present and shaking my head. I just then realized there was someone standing next to her.

"Oh, uhm... I'm guessing this is you-"

"Younger brother, yes." The boy said, grinning at me. He was the spitting image of his sister, just shorter by like a foot or so.

His eyes were the same color red as Ren's. However, instead of red hair, his was black, short, ruffled neatly and seemed to fall to the right of his face a bit. He seemed to be twelve. Thirteen at most. He didn't look older than fourteen.

I nodded with a comfortable smile, and slid my curved sword back into its sheath. Then I shoved my hands into my pockets.

I gave him a nod. "Nice to meet you… Uhm..."

"Uhuh." The boy smirked deviously, nodding over to me. "You first, mister."

Oh, so either Ren was rubbing off on him or it was the other way around. These two acted _way_ too alike. He was like a male version of her! Or she was a female version of him!

Deciding not to delve into trivialities such as the alikeness of these two, I laughed lightly.

"Alright then," I started, nodding yet again, "My name's Saito. Nice to meet you."

He did the same, showing a toothy smile in return as he put his hands on his hips. "I'm Tokage, nice to meet you too!"

"I'm still not calling you that, Tohru…" Ren rolled her eyes, puffing out the words lazily as she looked in another direction.

Tokage, or Tohru... Which seemed to be his real name, elbowed her sister in the side.

"Ow!" She pouted over to him, only for the boy to reprimand her.

"Sis! Geez, he's not supposed to know our real names, ya know!"

He seemed really flustered. His face got all beet red and stuff, which I had to hold in laughter at.

He reminded me of Maiko just a bit.

I only shook my head, putting on a knowing smile as I shrugged. "What name?" I asked, looking around, before leaning forward with a wink.

"I heard Tokage. That's your name, right?"

The question intrigued the boy as he looked back over to me, before smiling and leaning forward as well. His smile diminished to a smirk.

"Yup! Tokage! Nothing else!" He chirped.

"Alright then. Tokage it is! Nice to meet you, man!" I said.

The two of us shared a mischievous grin.

I looked up just in time to see Ren smiling softly at the two of us before catching my eyes. Her cheeks flared up a bright pink color as she rolled her eyes, rubbing them "Oh-So-Casually" as she turned and ruffled her younger brother's hair.

"Come on, let's go teach this idiot how to use his weapons." She huffed while Tokage hurried over beside her.

I took the other side of him, rolling my own eyes at the way she spat out the word, "idiot."

I smirked at how cute it was.

"But sis, I just got my weapons too." Tokage said innocently, blinking up to his sister as she groaned, knocking him upside the head comically.

"You know what I meant! Come on…"

"Owww! What was that for?"

"When you elbowed me in the side!"

"Oh come on, that was like five minutes ago!"

"Then you should get over this pretty quick too!"

The two of them bickered on and on as I had a fit of laughter.

Wiping away a few tears, I sighed contently as the three of us headed throughout the city and towards the outskirts of the city.

 **15 Minutes Later**

 **Floor 1**

 **East Field**

"So…" I said, drawing my blade with my right hand and letting it drop to my side. "You're gonna teach us how to fight?" I asked, tilting my head to Ren.

The girl slid her weapon from its sheath before twirling it around in between her fingers almost effortlessly.

"Oh no, you guys know how to fight. Well... At least he does." She said, nodding over to her younger brother before transitioning to shaking her head left and right.

"No, no. I'll be teaching you guys how to use _skills_. System skills."

Tapping the edge of her blade lightly against the leather shoulder strap of her chest covering, Ren nodded her head in the direction of a wandering boar in the distance.

It was a dark indigo in color. Its eyes were an unworldly red as it went through the fields aimlessly with nothing on its mind.

It looked peaceful.

"But first, a quick lesson on mobs." Ren said, pointing the tip of her sword at the boar. "You guys see the floating cursor above that boar?"

The question brought my eyes up to where she mentioned. Indeed noticing the pure red diamond-like shape hovering above the monster's head.

Ren headed over slowly as she spoke, casually wading through the knee-high grass.

"You have to get its attention first... Or at least walk within its general range of attack." She said.

She'd then stop, as if she was in range. Then she- let out a high and sharp whistle.

At the sound the boar's stubbly ears would twitch as it raised its head, snapping it in the direction of the noise.

Its eyes then flashed brightly as it let out a monstrous "Oink!" before rushing at Ren with gaining momentum.

"Then…" She spoke once more before doing something.

Tokage and I watched as Ren slid into a certain stance, placing her blade by her right leg. The weapon then burst into a bright blue glow as she pushed off and dashed straight for the oncoming creature.

At the last moment before they clashed, Ren swung her sword upwards with a harsh grunt, aiming right for the boar's jaw.

A blue glare of light erupted from the point of impact as the poor boar went airborne and the green health bar by its head lowering to red.

Ren finished off the boar with another uppercut strike of her sword while it was still in the air.

The thing didn't even have time to hit the ground before it exploded. Shining digital shards rose through the air slowly before dissipating shortly after.

Ren took a breath before turning back to us.

"You kill it like so." She said with a childish smile.

…

The two of us eyed each other before looking back at her.

"Wow."

"Geez, sis…"

Her smile turned into a light laugh as she waved us over saying, "Come on lemme teach you two how to do stuff like that."

Needless to say, we both eagerly headed over as our training began.

 **20 Minutes Later...**

 _Slam!_

 _Shiing!_

Tokage had crushed the snout of a boar with his gauntlets and I cut another one down with my blade.

Our weapons cooled down from their glows of orange and green as we looked in happy surprise at our new capabilities.

So it basically worked like this. To use a certain skill for the weapon you were wielding you first had to get into a certain stance, which would activate the short "Post-Motion Delay" where the skill charges briefly.

Then, the system basically does the rest of the work for you and executes the skill as you liked.

It was really nifty and could help me a lot in the future. Plus it looked really cool. _Hue_ _hue_.

After another thirty minutes we stopped. I looked at the time.

"Ah crap, it's pretty late." I sighed, sliding my sword back in its sheath as I looked over to Ren and Tokage. I saw them check the time as well.

They seemed to agree with me, nodding their heads as Ren spoke.

"Yeah, it's sorta his bedtime anyway."

An elbow came her way once again.

"I don't have a bedtime!"

"Atatata!" The girl sucked her teeth, rubbing her side and pouting at her brother.

I chuckled lightly as I saw her roll her eyes at the both of us. I smiled still, sighing once again and rubbing the back of my head as I then bowed slightly to the two of them.

"Thanks for helping me up to this point. Without you guys I'd probably be totally lost in this game." I said, raising my head once more with a grateful expression directed towards them two.

Ren, for some reason, seemed surprised at what I'd done…

Was it the bow? The face…? Could be my face… Though what was on my face?

She seemed to turn a light pink as she kicked at the grass, averting her eyes.

"Right... Uhm... Anytime... I guess." She mumbled, fisting her hands into her pockets.

Tokage simply grinned and nodded, giving me two thumbs up. "No problem, dude!" He said, assuring me happily.

I grinned back just as happily. "Alright, see you guys later... And thanks again!" I said, going to open my menu before I was stopped.

"Hey!"

Ren shot out the word, her voice cutting through my train of thought as I looked up again.

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" I asked, noticing her menu was also open.

A moment later a holographic screen popped up in my line of vision.

 **Would You Like To Be Friends With: [Ren]**

 **(Yes) or (No)**

…?

I looked up to Ren, seeing her flustered posture and constant aversion of my gaze.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, you know. Just... If you want to meet up with us again, then-"

I smiled, not letting her finished as I clicked the " **(Yes)** " option.

The menu then closed, adding my first VRMMO friend onto the list.

I met the slow transition of her eyes back on to mine before she let out a half-smirk.

I rolled my eyes and smiled, nodding. "I'll see you later Ren. Tokage." I said, searching for the LogoutButton.

They waved, the little brother a bit more energetically than his sibling.

… Okay…

"Where is it…?" I mumbled, scrolling through the Settings menu... Up and down, up and down.

The button wasn't there… This was weird…

Ren would raise an eyebrow, heading over. "What's up?"

"The logout button," I started, heading back out of Settings to refresh it before clicking the little gear button again and continuing to look.

Nothing…

' _What the…?'_

I looked up to the two, concern gradually slipping onto my features.

"The logout button… It isn't here…"

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online, all credit goes to the original creators.**


	3. Bullies and Beliefs

_**Bullies and Beliefs**_

 **November 6, 2022**

 **5:53**

 **City Square**

 **Tohru (Tokage) Takagi**

* * *

"Sis!? Saito? Onee-chan! Where are you guys!?"

Man this place was huge. I mean, I was just with them, and now I'm all the way at the... northwest edge of this plaza? This was the plaza right?

It seemed to be in the middle of the city. There were dozen streets that branched from this place and further out, so I think I'm right.

Anyways, where were they?!

This place was getting way too crowded. I'm not a tall kid, so looking over heads wasn't an option. I also didn't want to head deeper inside the mob. I'd get lost easily and then my chances of finding them would be slimmer.

So I just decided to stay as close to the edge as I could, you know, without _falling off._ At one point I almost did, but I managed to shove my way past a few people and stay safely away from there...

Geez, Mr. Kayaba had enough money to create this immersive world but conveniently forgot about putting proper railings around the arena? You had one job dude. One.

I could hear the deep rumbling of the phantom words as it hovered above the crowd, but there were too many tall people. Everything came out in booming, yet muffled, sounds.

Whatever he was saying seemed to pass right over my head and into the ears of others, literally. I guess that was good though, I was too busy trying to find Saito and Rei- I mean Ren, my sister.

...Ahem.

Shuffling passed a few more busybodies, I found myself scooting towards what looked like one of the entrances towards the city.

Smirking I quickened my waddling.

 _'Great, I can head over to an area and message those two when this whole thing's over!'_

As I reached the entrance, I was about to walk through, when I felt something extremely hard slam into me. Backing up a few steps, I shook my head.

"What the-"

I raised my right hand, reaching out, towards the entrance/exit.

 _Wubwubuwub_

A clear, ripple effect would expand out from where I placed my hand. Using my left hand, I felt around the invisible barrier.

"So we can't leave until the phantom guy is finished." I sighed, shaking my head. "This game man..."

I was totally unaware of the situation going on above me. Nothing he said reached my ears... Well, _clearly_ that is, and that was fine with me.

However, the looks on people's faces alerted me. They weren't expressions of happiness or excitement, but of surprise, anxiety...

Even horror.

People looked pretty scared, and I didn't know why. That fact started to eat at me. What was so scary? I wanted to know!

Shaking my head, I groaned and rested my back against the wall. The best thing to do was to wait until the speech was over.

I decided to open my menu and go over the skills I had so far. Scrolling down the lengthy screen, I finally reach the designated area.

Opening the tab, I looked over the skill names, white circles surrounding the outlined figure of a person.

I sighed. Nothing I had was particularly outstanding. Since I nabbed up the Iron Fist kit, I had it's basic set of skills. Two-handed Fist Fighting and Battle Healing weren't fancy. But hopefully with practice I'd be able to hone them well.

Smiling lightly at the thought, I looked up to the sky above, layered over with red. It was somewhat unsightly, dampening my mood just a bit, and dimming my smile.

However, that wasn't what I was focused on. The words. What did those hexagonal things read? W-Waning?

Oh, Warning. Wait, warning? Warning of what...?

That's when the sky shattered from its crimson embrace, the scarlet alerts disappearing from view and giving weigh to the afternoon sky above.

I exhaled a breath of relieved air as I leaned off the stone wall. Okay, initiation over. Right? Looks like things were back to normal.

Looking around, I quickly caught on to the tremendous silence that took over the players. I didn't get it. Usually after something like that, people would be chattering their heads off about how cool or exciting it was.

That's when my mind flashed back to the faces of terror I'd noticed before, and a sudden sinking feeling etched into my stomach.

I clutched it with my hand as I frowned, looking around. Everything was quiet, dead quiet. Those 4 seconds of stillness were crushing. I could feel the gravity of this world weighing down on my very being. It was like a kettle of tea just ready to blow...

Suddenly, a tremulous shrill erupted into the air, expanding as it transitioned through the crowd and into my ears.

I could've sworn my heart stopped in that single moment, my face paling as I subconsciously anticipated what was about to happen.

Eyes shifting towards the exit out of the plaza, I willed my feet to move with all of my might. As soon as I pushed off, everything seemed to slow down, the world coming to a slow-motion, 4D picturesque.

And that was when the chaos started.

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

This wasn't good, not good at _all_.

Apparently, this _wasn't_ some sort of initiation into the game. Well, it was, but not the type you're thinking of. No no. This took a more, _realistic_ approach, and I'm not just talking about the VR aspect...

Kayaba, the creator of SAO, had taken every single one of us by surprise. Turns out, this game, is our reality, that the missing logout button _wasn't_ a mistake, but a new feature. According to the looming phantom, this was going to be our lives, unless we cleared all of Aincrad's 100 floors.

Now, wait a minute. Pause. Rewind. Eject.

This just made absolutely no sense. Why would the creator of the very first VRMMORPG do something as wild and unorthodox as to lock his players within the game and force them to either beat all 100 floors or stay locked up for God knows how long?

Morals aside, that didn't sound like a very smart thing to do. I needed to get some confirmation on this. Ren was a beta tester wasn't she?

I nudged the redhead's arm as I asked. "Hey, was this in the beta? This doesn't seem real. Do you think this is real?"

The red-haired girl only shook her head. "No, it wasn't... I honestly don't know." She frowned. "But I don't think a million-dollar company like Argus would just make something like this up just for kicks, especially with something as fragile as Virtual Reality."

"And people's brains..." Came a weary additional voice.

Both of us turned our heads to see a black-haired man, maybe about in his early twenties or so. The dude was ridiculously handsome, like in an unearthly type of way. He looked like he could be the main character of some adventure anime or something.

"So then, all that this guy's saying is true?" I asked.

The man crossed his arms and eyed the hooded menace above us. "I honestly have to say, yes..." He said, a hint of despair in his voice. The man then proceeded to talk to another man with red hair, similar to Ren's.

Which had just reminded me. As I turned, I noticed she had stalked off through the crowd once more. I groaned and walked after her.

"Ren, you can't just walk off like that!" I stated in an exasperated breath.

She huffed indignantly. "And why not? If this _is_ our reality, then I need to find Tohru, and fast."

She had a point.

"I guess you're right. But shouldn't we at least wait and hear what else he says?"

"You can wait. Not me. I'm going to find Tohru. So tag along, or stay and gawk." She snarled, slipping past a group of people as he headed deeper into the fray of players.

I for one, needed more than just speculation. I needed cold hard evidence... And that was when large, holographic screens popped up around the phantom, circling his hollow body for all 10,000 players to see.

He explained how the forceful removing of the Nerve Gear on the other side would result in the microwave signals within the console to fry your brain. That, I didn't believe, until I began to take notice as to what was actually on the screens.

They depicted various new reporters standing in front of houses with surrounding, yellow CAUTION! tape, telling viewers about how unsuspecting family members took off certain players' helmets, resulting in fatal brain damage.

I gulped down the rising fear in my throat, eyeing the screens in shock. So then, what he said, everything, _was_ true. But then again, this could all be a ploy, just some really sick idea created by one of Argus's staff, right?

No, that doesn't make sense... Ren was right, the company was too large to do something so stupid as joke around with something as big as this.

So this meant, everything he said, about the log out button, it was true, no doubt. Kayaba Akihiko had locked us in this world, and the only way for us to get back to the real world, was through beating all 100 floors.

Great.

 _'_ _Love_ _how my day's going so far...'_ I thought, rolling my eyes at this whole ordeal.

But oh! It got better! Much, much better! Let me just break it down to you. Turns out, we couldn't even keep our avatars! (Though that really didn't matter much to me. I mean, the only thing I changed was like, my hairstyle a bit... I think.)

Before he took his leave, we would receive mirrors from the ever-so-gracious floating phantom of darkness. The little exclamation point alerted me to the item, and I materialized it with a click of the screen.

Soon the thing fell into my right hand, and I looked into it. I raised my right brow. Was something supposed to happen? Nothing was happening. Was this just some other sick joke? Like the mirror was supposed to be some sort of ugly metaphor or something like that?

My assumptions, unfortunately, were completely off, for moments later, my entire body lit up like chandelier.

"What-"

The warmth encasing my body was similar to that of teleportation, but much more, harsh I guess? That was the word. Out of the corner of my eye I could make out the figure of Ren, eyeing her body weirdly. She hadn't gone far in her search. Considering the amount of people cramped into one area, I could see why.

I then looked around to see everyone else going through the same candle-lighting process. And like that, the whole plaza was lit up in a crazy array of blinding light.

I closed my eyes, and-shortly after-reopened them, as I felt the heat of the light fade away from my body.

I shook myself from the jitters the process gave me, before looking into the mirror once again. And there I was. Satoru Narita, high-schooler, soccer player, and middle child to three other siblings. Saito was nowhere to be seen, just the normal, brown-haired boy that stared back.

"Aw great..." I grumbled as I felt my face and rustled my hair to make sure this wasn't some joke, that other people had also changed. Unfortunately, it wasn't a joke.

The once beautifully shaped players of Aincrad, were turned into a mix of NEETs, teens in _way_ over their head, children, and the poor, unsuspecting elderly...

It was official. This sucked.

And then Kayaba had the audacity to _wish us well_ , and with a bright and flashy final show of power, the gigantic hooded collection of data, dispersed, it's contents scattered about in virtual sprinkles of light.

The red WARNING signs suddenly gave way to the afternoon sky, disappearing from sight row after row.

Everything came to a standstill at that moment. Nothing moved, no birds, footsteps, not even the sound of breathing would escape the crushing silence that constricted the 10,000 players within the plaza.

I was one of them. All of this was a huge shock. It mentally rocked me a bit. I mean, what a plot twist man...

Though, that wasn't my concern right now. I knew what would come right after these few seconds of respite, and I didn't like it.

This most definitely wasn't good. I needed to get out of here before things-

"N-No!... NOOOOOOOO!" The shrill of a young girl, screaming at the top of very lungs resounded about the plaza like she was yelling through some sort of speakerphone.

 _'Damn it.'_ I thought. I doubted no one heard that.

"Tch." I sucked my teeth as the scream filled the air, starting a chain reaction like I've never seen, or heard, before. Like wildfire, people began to voice their disapproval of this new feature. Roars of anger, pain, despair, there wasn't a voice left unheard.

"HEY! This isn't funny! Let us out of here!"

"This is a joke right...? Right?!"

"MY SON! PLEASE HE'S ONLY TWELVE! LET ME GO!"

"Nononononononono!"

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

People yelled and wailed at the top of their lungs, soul crushing, heart wrenching cries. I felt for them...

I really did.

But I knew this would only escalate into something more dangerous. What I needed to do first was get out of here. I flicked my eyes to the edge of the city and with no hesitation, began to move.

Like I predicted, soon enough, people began to get wild. Fights began to break out around the plaza. I could see kids screaming and wailing on the ground, adults throwing punches and crying out with anger, the more elderly players trying their best to navigate through the crowd.

This completely and utterly sucked... Did I say that already? Well it definitely deserved another mention.

At one point I was shoved into a fight of my own, smacking into one of the spontaneous brawlers.

"Crap... sorry man." I huffed, trying to get my bearings.

"Huh?!" The burly voice of a male resonated from behind me. I then felt myself get thrown off, barely catching myself from completely falling.

"What the-!" I coughed as I scrambled back upright, only to find myself head to head with some overly buff dude. The guy was bald except for a thick brown mohawk down the middle of his head.

"You wanna go at it too bub?!" He snarled, cracking his knuckles.

I laughed nervously. "Ah, I'd rather not dude." I said, holding my hands out to show I didn't mean any harm. Though, I think all he saw was red. He charged right at me.

"Raghh!"

"Ahhh!" I yelled right back, pushing off my front foot and backing off. i prayed to God this dude didn't hit me. With all that muscle? I'd be dead from one hit. I just knew it.

I liked my face!

He swung hard, the fist aimed straight for my jaw. But the swing was slow and wide, which gave me enough time to duck under and push against him to propel myself away once again.

I stumbled backwards once again and drew my sword reluctantly. "Dude, I don't wanna fight you!"

"Get your ass over here, punk!"

He began to rush towards me once more. I growled in frustration and brought my sword to rest on my shoulder.

I analyzed the dude really quickly. He was definitely strong, really strong. Though, I was much faster by comparison. If I hit him hard and fast enough in _just_ the right area, I could cripple him just long enough to get out of here.

As I was contemplating what to do, I had almost forgotten about the actual fight itself, and completely missed the entrance of a certain redhead.

Well, until she screamed at me...

"OY! PUT THAT DAMN THING AWAY!"

My eyes shot up to see a streak of red fly right past me. My eyes slowly widened as I found myself staring at the quickest sparring match I've ever witnessed in my life.

The girl in front of me, struck out with her right foot, stamping down against the floor with her left. The man was totally caught by surprise from the girl's entrance, but it was too late. He was charging, and the momentum from both her foot and his face collided with a harmonious,

WHAM!

The kick was so fast, my eyes couldn't keep up. It seemed to disappear for just a moment, before it slammed right into the dude's face.

The guy wrestled with his balance as he clutched his face in what I would think to be agony. Though I remembered the "no-pain factor" in the game. Even then, the best part, was that she didn't stop there!

Like lightning, her fist jettisoned out from her body, plowing into the dude's face with a series of extremely fast and hard-looking punches. I could see the muscles in her arms flex through her shirt as she struck over and over. Man they looked like they hurt.

BLAMBLAMBLAM!

The deep resonant sounds of her fists rung out as they rammed straight into the man's mug. After about the 5th punch, the redhead would suddenly shoot a sharp elbow right into the guy's nose, which most definitely keeled the him over.

He wouldn't register the impact of Ren's heel crashing into the side of his face before he was sent to the ground with a harsh:

BANG!

The spinning kick move she did worked to put the man in his place. Again, though, it was quite fast. All I noticed was her body swivel around-like a wild, red, spinning top-before wham! The kick flew out.

Me? I was blown away...

This girl was crazy. That's what kept replaying over and over in my head. I stared at the scene before me, and so had a few others. Some of the rioters had stopped to gander at the spectacle.

A teenage girl, who couldn't be older than 17, single-handedly brought down a man, who I knew for a fact, had to be the predecessor of some ancient war god or something. Dude was ripped!

However, a hand grabbed me before I could see any further, and pulled me along. "Come on idiot! We gotta move!"

I was shaken from my awe-stricken expression, and turned to see the girl who'd just saved my pretty face from eternal decimation.

Turning to look at me with a somewhat worried look in her eyes, Ren quickly asked,

"You alright?"

Yup, it was most definitely her.

However, she looked a bit different. Her hair, instead of a full and deep red, had a ginger tint to it, like a natural redhead would have. She had a small line of freckles along her nose and cheeks, and her eyes were now hazel in color. The multi-colored orbs focused on me and me alone in the crowd of hysteria, glints of grey and green swimming around in her gaze.

I'd almost forgotten to breath as I looked at her. If a girl could look more beautiful than they already had 5 minutes ago, she most _definitely_ took the cake. I mean, any girl who could bring a 6'2" bull of a man down to his knees and look at me like she just did, had my heart for life!

But there was no way in hell I was going to tell her that. No. Friggin. Way.

"Y-Yeah, thanks." I coughed out, clearing my throat as I averted my gaze, trying my best to cool my heated cheeks.

She nodded. "Good, now come on, and put that sword away! We're still civil here!"

I raised my eyebrows at the fact while I was dragged along, swiftly putting away my sword. She was right. I was about to use my weapon on a civilian. That wasn't cool. No matter how hungry he was for my face, I could not carve him into Sushi-sized pieces. Hopefully he didn't hold that against me.

Suddenly, I remembered Ren's little brother, Tohru. I cursed under my breath, following after her as best I could. We needed to find him. Who knew what mumbo jumbo he was caught up in. Hopefully he was some place remotely safe.

My eyes kept focused on Ren's back, using it as a focal point as we moved through the rustling and bustling crowd. And as I watched her, I'd began to take notice of it, from her display of obvious physical prowess, and just now, from simply running.

Ren was fast, and fluid.

Her steps never missed a beat, and her body moved in a sort of rhythm, like some internal drum always kept her on tempo.

She weaved through the crowd like some type of guru. I don't even think anyone physically touched her. I couldn't see her eyes, but I had a good feeling as to how they would appear.

Sharp.

Focused.

These words came to mind. The girl was headstrong, aggressive, and single-minded at times. But, simultaneously, she was also perceptive, and instinctual. At times said instinct seemed to swallow her up, like back then.

When she fought, she fought _well_.

 _'Hm.'_

Tug!

"Yack!"

I was jerked from my conscious _once again_ by the redhead's screaming.

"My god would you get your head out of your ass already!?" She snapped at me, grabbing at my wrist and yanking me through, just before two players collided with each other.

"This is madness." I muttered.

Ren didn't answer. Instead, she grumbled inaudibly. Though I could've sworn I heard something about "stupid boys" somewhere in there.

Hmph.

Soon enough we were able to clear out from the fray, making it out into the streets. We both caught our breath, our bodies sprawled out across the walls and ground of a random alleyway.

I could still hear the noise of rioting and roars of anguish from within the streets. I did my best to block out the sounds and focus on us.

"Everything's gone to shit..." Ren breathed out, eyeing the streets as well. "And Tohru's somewhere out there, probably scared out of his mind."

I looked to her, noticing her balled fists. That's when the fight from before flashed into my mind, I brought my knees to my chest, resting my arms atop them.

"Hey, how did you learn to fight like that?" I asked, eyeing her curiously. She eyed me in that moment, her eyes, flecked with shades of green and grey, dimming just a bit. Her whole expression seemed to glaze over for just a moment, before she looked away, shrugged and muttered.

"YouTube videos."

I looked at her weirdly, wondering what that was all about, before I pouted at the response. At that moment though, I gained a bit more respect for her. I knew a few people who would've bragged about having moves like that. She didn't even use any sword skills did she?

If she did, it looked way too natural for me to realize. The next words out her mouth were predicted.

"I'm going." She said finally, stepping out from the shadows of the alleyway and slamming her fist into the palm of her other hand.

I kept my eyes on her as she looked out onto the street, her own pupils shaking. I don't know if she was angry or fearful. But she didn't lack in determination. No siree, she was filled to the brim.

I rubbed my head, starting to put everything in perspective for a moment. This needed to be done. Well I needed it to be at least. I couldn't just go forth without bringing everything together. So, let's do this. By the end of today, the city would-most likely-be overrun, and in shambles (well, as much in shambles as the system would let it).

In a few days chaos would turn into war. War would result in death. Death would mean held grudges, and picked sides, which would turn into gangs, turf wars, and _all_ that good stuff...

Worst case scenario, no one's focused on the actual objective, which was probably lost in all of this already.

Kayaba didn't just trap us here.

He gave us a way out, beating all 100 floors. But, being human, we wouldn't give it much thought. The more experienced players would most likely take the better drops to help ensure their survival and leave the rest to crumble under the weight of the whole situation...

I didn't want that to happen. I couldn't let that happen. One because I'd be caught right in the middle of it. I'm not a beta tester. I'd be thrown away with the others.

And two, because it just feels wrong to leave it as is, and I didn't like the fact that innocents could definitely get hurt if this whole thing erupted even more than it already has.

So, silently, in the back of my mind, I began to formulate an idea, not a plan yet! More like, a rough sketch.

Yeah.

"You coming?" Ren asked, looking back at me. Her red hair was flown over her shoulders and an arched eyebrow questioned me silently.

"What's with the weird look?" She asked.

I'd just noticed I'd been staring at her for the past minute or so. Shaking my head with a sigh, I stood to my feet, reassuring her.

"Nothing, just thinking. Let's find your brother." I nodded.

Ren nodded back and the two of us turned to the chaos outside our little alleyway.

"Yeah, let's..."

 **Tohru (Tokage) Takagi**

* * *

"Woah! Watch it!" I yelled as I was shoved to the ground.

Some players with loads of items in their hand had rushed by me, running away from a couple of screaming female players.

"HEY!"

"Give us back our stuff!"

"Ha! Not a chance!" One of the two males scoffed.

"Survival of the fittest girls!"

The two grown men laughed as the sauntered along, leaving the two girls in a heaping mess of tears.

My heart went out to them as I sent a piercing glare to the backs of the retreating thieves. I would've started a fight with them, but I was much smaller than they were.

What good was a 13-year old boy going to do against two fully grown men, who were probably more experienced than he was.

Still, I felt for those girls...

I sighed as I got up from the floor and dusted off my pants. I needed to find away out of here, to someplace more secluded where I could hide and message his sister.

Though, just to hit it off, I opened my messages and typed in Reiha's avatar name.

 **Do You Want To Send [** Ren **] a Friend Request?**

 **O: Yes X: No**

I pressed yes and closed my menu, hoping she'd accept quickly so I could tell her where I was...

Where was I anyway?

On some random street within the city. I wasn't far from the main plaza, but with all the people fighting and screaming and whatnot, I lost all sense of direction.

It was frustrating. Could people just calm down?!

Geez...

I looked around, wondering what to do next when I felt myself get shoved right back onto the ground.

I landed with an unceremonious:

"Oof!"

"Haha! Hey boys, see what he's got on 'im." Came the snobby voice of a teenage boy. I heard the others laughing behind him as they neared me, their shadows looming over my fallen body.

I coughed out some dirt I'd unfortunately eaten, hefting myself to my knees with my hands, before the sharp, gut-wrenching pain of being someone's foot slamming into my stomach, knocked me right back down.

"Ughhh..." I groaned, clutching my stomach as I keeled over.

"Check him quickly!"

"Little punk! Empty everything you have out your inventory." One of the boys said, prodding at me with the butt of his knife.

I glared up at him, taking in his appearance. The boy had shaggy brown hair, covering one side of his face, including his left eye. His other stared at me blankly. His mouth formed a hard line as he jabbed at me once more, seeing that I wasn't moving.

"I'm not gonna ask again."

"Oh you two are hopeless..." the leader from before spoke, approaching and shoving the dull boy aside.

"Move, Frisk." He growled as he grabbed my collar, and lifted me up in the air with both hands.

"Kid, I'll ask you one last time, give us all your stuff, or you gonna feel the worst ass kicking of your life."

The boy had dirty blonde hair, freckles lined his face. It was an American-looking one, with a hint of Japanese sprinkled in there somewhere.

His auburn eyes stared into mine almost crazily. His fists shook as he tightened his grips against my collar.

I smirked weakly as I placed a hand against his right. "You really think you can beat me? Tokage? The one and only?!" I burst out into a flurry of chuckles, scoffing at the man hoisting me in the air.

"Ha! You've got another thing 'comin _little_ _boy_." I spat out the last words out of spite.

The boy growled. "That's it you little shrimp!"

Reeling his hand back, the boy raised me just a bit higher as if he wanted a perfect target he could pummel into.

I wouldn't give him that chance.

My hand, slipped from his and struck out swiftly. The loose hand formed into a fist as it slammed into the boy's face, effectively stunning him.

"Ack!" He growled, holding his face and letting go of me.

As I landed I shot my hands out once more, this time, grabbing onto his hair. I remembered seeing my sister do this one time when she fought one of those older kids bullying others at our school. It was by happenstance.

When I questioned her about it, she said, _'If you've got a good hold on someone's hair, you can basically make them do whatever you want.'_

I was sort of skeptic about what she said, but I found out she was right.

With a heavy yank, I ripped at the boy's head, flinging him face first into my rising knee.

BAM!

"Glurh!" he groaned as he reeled back. I could've sworn I felt his nose break, stumbling back, in awe at how effective that was.

"Zeth!"

"Dude, what the hell!"

I backed up slowly, eyes widening at what I'd just done.

"Oh crap..." I gasped, before turning and stumbling into a hurried run. "Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go!"

"Get 'im!" The boy named Zeth roared as he nursed his nose. "NOW!"

Frisk and another boy, I didn't catch his name, ran along after me, I could hear them yelling at me to stop.

 _'Ha! Like hell! I'm NOT gonna win against those three.'_

Floundering around a corner, I found myself in another street of rowdy chaos, being pushed by a group of men raiding an NPC's jewelry mat. I almost fell, but caught myself and continued to run.

I ran, and ran, not giving a single care about how tired I'd be. My blood pumped and pumped as my legs carried me all the way towards the edge of the city. I didn't dare look back, and I prayed they got tired and gave up.

With all that was happening right now, who knows what they'd do to me...

It'd be about 15 minutes or so since I started running, and I would find myself outside of the city, in the West Fields.

I was so tired, I couldn't feel my legs.

My whole body felt like it weighed a ton, and my consciousness was fading. I didn't even have the strength to hide myself somewhere before I abruptly collapsed to the ground.

The pitiful thud resonated around the fairly empty field, gather the attention of some unexpected visitors.

I'd totally forgotten about the mob spawns...

 _'Crap...'_

And like that, my sight would fade to black as I slipped into the depths of my subconscious. The last thing I would see would be a pair of black boots walking towards me.

 _'Great, another person who wants my stuff...'_

Soon, I felt nothing.

 **Reiha (Ren) Takagi**

* * *

"Hey!" I chirped up as a notification from my brother popped up onto my HUD (Heads-Up Display). Saito and I had hidden from the chaos inside the pub we were in prior to this whole fiasco.

Saito leaned over to take a peek and I made my menu visible so he could see.

"Tohru sent me a friend request."

"Nice." He sighed. I could hear the relief in his voice, which made me somewhat glad for some reason.

Someone else cared. That fact, in and of itself, felt good.

Needless to say, I accepted without any hesitation, and just like that I activated the Friend Finder.

The feature told you the exact location of the players on your Friends list. Unless they were in a dungeon or weren't on your list, you'd be able to find them.

As I switched it on, his location pinged into existence, and I let a relieved sigh flow from my lips. He was alive.

 _'Thank God...'_

"Alright, looks like he's outside the city."

"Can he handle those mobs by himself?" Saito asked as he opened the door of the tavern to leave.

I shrugged as I grabbed for the door and swung it wide open, offsetting Saito's balance in the process, though it didn't seem like he minded.

"I don't know, or care to find out, let's go."

"Alright."

The two of us set off into the dangerous, raging streets of the Town of Beginnings. We didn't make it far until we were caught in yet _another_ web of bullshit (It'd been the third time today).

This time, what had gathered the crowd of useless spectators to come watch, was none other than another crazed maniac, spouting nonsense. A fanatic speaking about his beliefs in trying times to get to stir people to his side. This was like their playground. Once disaster of any form befell them, they'd crow to the heavens about the end of the world and whatnot.

Except, this man wasn't doing that. No, this was different. He was-oh you're going to get a kick outta this-telling people to jump off the edge of the Town of Beginnings with him.

...

No. I don't think you heard me correctly. Let me clarify. Ahem... Mmmm, ahemhem.

He Was Gathering Supporters To _Jump Off_ The Edge Of The Town of Beginnings With Him!

"HARK!" The loony boomed, spreading his scrawny arms wide and proud. "People of Japan! This is but a farce! A sick joke playing on our fears to produce higher ratings for the game!"

 _'What...?'_

I thought, watching him walk along the collected wooden boxes he was using as a stand. This idiot was still in denial wasn't he? This was most definitely real. Nothing in the beta had anything like this.

Plus, those news reports weren't a joke...

That's right, I did listen to the floaty thingy. _Proceeds to stick her tongue out._

"It is _nothing_ but an illusion people!" The man said as he walked along the edge of the boxes. I had such an urge to kick at it to see if he'd fall... It'd totally make my day.

"If we feel like there is actually no way to exit the game but play, we will do just that, there for creating high numbers for the first virtual reality game ever made!"

 _'You're completely forgetting the fact that this could-and most likely is-having the complete oppositeffectct on the company than what you're so happily preaching, aren't ya?'_

Mass Suicide was what we were talking about here! I mean, this dude was really having at it too! Just letting go all of his religious knowledge.

"Kayaba is simply testing our resolve as humans to finish the game! and this so called suicide, folks?" He added the air quotes for emphasis.

"That, my friends, is just your way of saying you don't want to play anymore, that you don't want to be apart of this deranged world, that you would rather break _free_ from the curse known as Sword. Art. Online, than be _shackled_ by it's supposed grandeur!"

The crowd that had gathered erupted into cheer at the man's words. I had to admit, he had a way with words. And his voice was none to joke at. He may have looked like a nobody, but he spoke like a somebody.

The man wore the regular, in-game, civilian clothing. Nothing out of the ordinary. Cloth shirt, pants, leather boots. His face had an angular shape, with beady, black eyes and a sharp, long nose. From his mouth to his ears were covered over by a five o'clock shadow, and he spoke with pride and strength, false hope ringing with every word uttered from his mouth.

He already had about 10 supporters with him. One, sadly, being a mother, and her daughter... That poor idiot. What was she fricking thinking?! I had half a mind to rip the two off the stage and knock that stupid preacher's teeth in.

However, the image of my brother flashed into my mind once again. And like that I walked past and towards the edge of the city once more.

"Come on Saito, Tohru's waiting, we don-. Saito?" I stopped and looked back to see the brown-haired boy staring at the scene.

"What're you doing?" I frowned as I stalked back over to him, hoping he wasn't having one of those weird, thoughtful lapses he always had.

I grabbed for his hand and he, just as quickly, shook it off. He looked at the scene with concerned eyes. And I knew what was going through his mind.

"Ren we ha-"

"No. No, we don't." I snarled, shoving his shoulder back so he could turn and look at me. "Saito, if those people want to go off themselves then let them. Let's go find my brother and get out of this city. Everything's gonna go to hell anyways."

"No, we can't." Saito replied stubbornly as he raised his finger, pointing at the deluded mother and her daughter.

"That little girl couldn't be a day older than seven! I'm not just going to sit by and watch as they kill themselves off like that!"

"Fine, don't stand! Move!" I snarled, grabbing for his arm again. He frustratedly shrugged me off once more.

"Are you serious, Ren?!" He asked, staring at me, bewildered with what I was saying.

"Hell yeah I am!" I retorted, pushing my finger into his chest. "My little brother is out in God knows where, fighting God knows _what_ on his own! I am _not_ going to sit here and try to coerce a bunch of heretics _not_ to kill themselves! If they want to take the eternal shortcut then by all fricking means _let 'em_!"

I could almost picture myself foaming at the mouth with anger at that very moment, the last two words were ground out of my clenched jaw. However, Saito's expression caught me in my display of frustration.

The look of disgust he gave me... like he'd just seen something beautiful, rot away into a heap of ugly...

That look, made a pang of guilt soar throughout my body.

I took a step back and lowered my head a bit, resting my hands on my hips. My eyes traversed to the floor as I averted his gaze. That really sounded mean... But I wasn't going to steer from my word.

"Is that really how you feel?" He asked softly, his words held a trembling amount of calm to them. Saito rested his hands on his knees and leaned down, tilting his head up to see my face.

His brown eyes held a glimmer of hope, hoping that what I said wasn't really the case, that I was just venting my anger as I always do. I could tell. The way they shook with sullen optimism...

But, that was exactly the case. And I would stand by it without a doubt. My brother came first, and no one else.

No one.

I raised my head and nodded.

"That's how I feel, Saito." I said, the hint of finality in my voice affirming his suspicions. He looked at me for a bit, raising his body and standing upright. I looked back, evening my gaze with his.

The two of us stared at each other, as if looking for a way to reconcile with one another, to find that small sliver of doubt in each other's eyes.

But neither of us budged an inch. We both were adamant in our beliefs.

And that was that.

We nodded at each other, knowing what both of us had to do. Saito had his own goal and I had mine.

With a pivot and turn, the two of us parted ways. Me with my _sane_ determination to find my brother, and Saito with his incredibly stupid, wayward willingness to help save those lost causes.

Well, that wasn't me. I wasn't going to risk the chance of my brother losing his life over a group of randoms who were literally willing to jump to their death over a stupid hunch, over-exaggerated and romanticized by some _stunod_ with a mildly convincing tone.

Heck, they could all hold hands and sing "London Bridge is Falling Down" as they did! As long as my brother was missing, I didn't care about anything else..

So we went our separate ways. One to save a group of idiots, and the other, to save her little brother.

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ASCII Media Works and Yen Press. I own only my characters and concepts.)

p.s. Sorry this one was a bit late :P


	4. World of the Living

_**World of the Living**_

 **November 6, 2022**

 **Town of Beginnings/Starting City**

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

Man, this was nuts. This was genuinely nuts! These people were saddled up, ready to throw their lives away, only because of the mere and-might I say-very slim chance that what Royce said was true.

Ah, yes.

Royce was the name of the man standing on top of those stacks of boxes, preaching the "word" to whoever was compelled listen. And oh, there were quite a few who were, quite a few. Call it grasping at straws, but these people-considering the events that'd just conspired-would listen to anyone who promised them even a glimpse of hope.

Under different circumstances, this would be somewhat of a good thing, wouldn't it? Yet, it wasn't. Because a group suicide mission was something of cults and crazies. Nevertheless, people jumping to their deaths wasn't something I could just stand by and watch happen. So, the plan so far was to, first, get these people sane, then, work on gathering some sort of order within the city. Who knew how many others like Royce were out there.

This was going to be tough, especially with me being only one person, one who knew as much about this game as a toddler knows how to do a backflip...

Not so much.

Though, I've seen one do it before! He almost broke his neck mind you but flipped like none before him-or at all. It was glorious!

He even landed on all fours!

Sorta!

So maybe I have a chance, no matter how minuscule it might be.

Currently, I was politely shoving my way through the crowd of people who'd bunched together to hear Royce speak about how, and I quote:

"I, Royce, swear on my life that my words are true!"

I really hoped the man was willing to keep that word of his. Because I literally saw no way in which this could work. How in the God-given world would falling off the edge of town and killing yourself in here, magically bring you back in the real world?

The mechanics seemed so off...

Ren (a sore subject right now) and that other guy from before had said that everything Kayaba told us seemed to be true. I happened to bump into another beta tester who confirmed my thoughts once again. They aren't bad guys really, don't know why everyone hates them. Guess people just needed someone else they could pin the blame on besides, you know, the big, floaty, hooded demon in the sky, roaring his guiltiness for all of Aincrad to hear!

But anyway, back on topic.

Argus was a huge company, I mean billions of dollars to the name. So the fact that their CEO, and the very creator of Sword Art Online-the game in which we were imprisoned-told us about the sheer reality of all of this, and even provided stone cold evidence to back it up...

There was no other reason for anyone to listen to this guy but fear. They were scared. I could tell, seeing that crazed light in the eyes of almost every person I passed on the way to the front. These people needed someone who could tell them what to do, and the person who sounded the most convincing at the time, was this guy.

I needed to change that.

"Excuse me. 'Scuse me. Just tryna get through here." I apologized as I managed my way through the crowd. It'd take a few moments but I'd finally reach the front.

And to my utter relief, I found that I wasn't the only one trying to talk some sense into Royce. There, right in front of the collection of boxes, stood a girl, about my age.

She had lush, indigo hair that flowed down her back and over her shoulders. The girl wore a red long-sleeved shirt, underneath a leather breastplate, a black skirt, and black leggings. At her hip hung a simple straight sword. She had the normal civilian leather boots. The thing was, she didn't look Japanese at all. American was the first thing that came to mind, though I could definitely see her being a European. She had a European nose.

Nonetheless, her Japanese was flawless.

She seemed to be trying to calm Royce down like he was off his meds or something. I caught her tone as she spoke and quickly noticed its surprising gracefulness, and the calmness it exuded. In the midst of all of the chaos happening around the city, it was one thing I felt myself gravitate towards.

"Royce, please stop this," She said, gesturing with her hands to the ten players who'd joined him atop the boxes. "This isn't the way we should be dealing with things right now. These people are scared, and so are you. Are you really going to put a child's life in danger because of what you think to be true?"

'Preach.' I thought, smirking to myself as I neared the situation. 'I think I just found ally number one.'

"Hey." I said, making my presence known to the girl. She turned at the sound of my voice, greeting me with soft, dark blue eyes. The orbs peered at me curiously.

She gave me a cautious smile, tugging lightly at the tips of her shirt's sleeves. "Ah, hello," she said, tilting her head ever so slightly.

"Forgive me for being blunt, but, who are you?"

I was eyeing Royce wearily, before my gaze would travel across the line of players behind him, landing on the mother and her little girl. Sighing, I returned to the conversation, letting a disarming smile flow onto my visage.

"My name's Saito," I said, reaching out my hand to greet her. "Nice to meet you."

She eyed me for a moment, then my hand, before-reluctantly-taking and shaking it. "I'm Holi. Nice to meet you too." She smiled, albeit somewhat warily. I couldn't blame her. This wasn't really an opportune time to be happy-go-lucky and welcoming. Yet, she extended that courtesy anyways.

So her name was Holi. Short, to the point, and easy to remember.

I smiled.

Though, Royce's barking from above returned me to the task at hand. We dropped the shake and I took a few quick steps back to see the full picture, my hands subconsciously finding their way into my pants pockets. "This doesn't look good," I said, a pout forming at the edges of my lips. I gave Holi a quick glance.

"He doesn't seem to be listening to you."

She shook her head. "I've been trying for a while now, but he's hellbent on this. He's been ignoring me for some time." She sighed, rubbing one of her temples. "This is absolutely absurd. I can't allow these people to do this..."

I nodded and took my hands from my pockets, walking towards the boxes. A baby plan had just birthed to mind as I'd eyed the situation.

"Neither can I, Holi. Neither can I."

The girl looked at me weirdly. Maybe it was my tone, but that was deliberated. I raised my hand high, high in the air. And suddenly, the most innocent, heartfelt smile sprung to life along my countenance. I mentally pictured Theodore from Alvin and the Chipmunks.

I looked much, much less cute, more like a fish, on its first date with dry land...

...

Anyways, I decided that if speaking wouldn't work, I'd just yell.

"HEY! Royce! HEYYY! Hey! Hey! Hey! Me! Pick me!"

Oh, that got his attention. The man stopped his ranting and looked down at me. The height difference suddenly irked me, just a smudge. Though I kept my calm and smiled the sweet smile, continuing with the charade.

"I believe! Please, oh please let me jump with you!" I pleaded, fluttering my lashes and everything. Oh, this was so left field!

I tried my best not to laugh as I channelled my inner "crazy devotee". There were other ways to get on top that stage. I could by force, I could join Holi and argue with him from below until I was blue in the face.

However, this option was one he wouldn't see coming. One that I could take advantage of, not only to knock some sense into him but to also take charge of the crowd.

And so, I played crazy.

"I want to be free!"

I didn't even need to turn to picture Holi's expression. I could feel her eyes staring lasers at the back of my head as Royce's face lit up with enthusiasm.

"Ah, another believer! Well, step on up here, young man!" He proclaimed, reaching down with his hand as I took it and hefted myself up onto the boxes.

"Osu."

My hands found themselves back into their pockets while I waddled my way over to the 10 others lined up behind him. I don't know why they didn't just group together. This thing was really rickety.

It felt as if it could fall at any moment.

As I turned to face the crowd, my eyes fell upon Holi. Her mouth was ever open and her eyebrows shot into her hairline.

Her expression was screaming " _What The Hell?!_ "

I simply winked at her, a wolfish smile slipping onto my features. My eyes glanced over at the mother and child, the former giving me a reassuring nod. Though I could see the desperation in her eyes. She wanted to get out of here, not for her, but for her daughter. Kayaba scared her to her very core, and she was just about ready to try anything to save her child's life. She was a good mother, but she was being led by the wrong person. I looked at the child, who seemed confused and scared. The little girl stayed close to her mother, clutching her like a lifeline.

I sighed. She didn't even know what in the world was going on... Whatever her mother did, she'd soon follow suit. That, I couldn't let happen. And so my backup plan continued to form. I tapped the box I was standing on to check its safety. It wobbled unsteadily.

'Nice.'

My gaze then traversed over to Royce, who was once again preaching his beliefs and ideals in the form of "truth". I would've glared if I wasn't in character. Instead, I would let him continue with his speech for at least another minute or two, solidifying my plan quietly.

As I did so, I also silently swore to myself that if I didn't do anything else to help this city, I would save these 10 players from jumping off that railing, no matter what.

And with that goal in mind, I took a deep breath.

It was time to get to work.

 **Tohru (Tokage) Takagi**

* * *

"Ugh..."

My head hurt, and my body ached every time I moved it. My eyes slowly fluttered open to tiredly reveal to me my surroundings.

Where was I? What was going on? Last time I remember I was running away from those boys, then I... I collapsed I think.

I turned my body, squinting around. Seriously, where in the world was I? Everything was a blur... Man... is this what people with hangovers feel like?

I shifted my body just a little and instantly noticed it. Whatever I was resting on... It was really soft.

Like really soft.

I slowly pushed up from the surface and gently shook my head, blinking my eyes a few times before my vision cleared itself.

There, under me, laid one of the most beautifully sculpted pair of legs I'd ever seen in my life. My mouth gaped as I stared dumbly at the pair of thighs under me. My eyes then slowly trailed down the line as I followed the appendages all the way to black boots.

Wait, those boots...

Those were the ones I saw before I passed out! I quickly pushed myself away and scrambled backwards against the ground, the movement coincidentally rewarding me a full look at the owner of such cautious footwear.

Staring back at me, head slightly tilted, sat a girl. Light blonde hair flowed down the sides of her face, looking pretty frazzled and frayed, yet oddly complimented her red-orange eyes, which blinked owlishly in my direction. The pupils had a sort of feline feel to them. I don't know what it was, maybe it was the way she looked at me or... I don't know. She looked pretty dirtied though like she'd been rolling around on the ground or something.

She wore a brown poncho - which covered most of her attire - over what looked like a black long-sleeved shirt. She had on dark green shorts that stopped mid-thigh, leaving those nicely shaped legs to strut their stuff, all the way down to black boots.

Though, again, she looked pretty dirty, and tired. I watched as she sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing them wearily.

"Thank God. I thought you died or something." She said, her voice had a hint of raspiness to it, but it also sounded young and chipper. It reminded me of my sister's a bit.

Probably seeing my wariness, the girl quickly put on a smile and shot her hands up. "Ah, I'm not going to hurt you, 'kay?" She said, pointing into the fields a mile or two ahead, within a clearing. I could see the Town of Beginnings in the distance.

"I saved you from some roaming Boar. They were coming to get you." She said, looking around. "So I brought you to this forest to lose them. Seems like we did."

At that, my eyes scanned the area, just now taking in my surroundings. We were in a forest of some kind, it was far away from the city. There was just a big stretch of thick trees between the Starting City, and the other village, Horunka, minus the large prairie right outside the city.

"Ah, okay..." I said, albeit with some loose form of caution in my voice. I returned to the conversation with a nod in the blonde's direction, apologizing for my discretion.

"Thank you for saving me, miss. "

"Kirie." The girl smiled. "It's Kirie and no problem." She said with a grunt, standing to her feet and patting off her backside.

"Now. Are you gonna tell me your name? Or.."

"Ah, right. Sorry." I said as I stood up as well, noticing Kirie's height. She was a pretty short girl. My sister was taller than her by at least a few inches. I think even I may have been.

"I'm Toh- kage. Right, Tokage. Nice to meet you." I managed out.

Kirie raised a well-done eyebrow, tilting her head ever so slightly as she crossed her arms, cocking out her right hip. "Well, nice to meet you Tokage."

The blonde smirked before transferring her eyes deeper into the forest. "Say, there's supposed to be a village near here. Right?"

"Oh, Horunka? Yeah, it's the second settlement on Floor 1."

Kirie's eyes shot back over to me as both eyebrows raised this time. "Wow, alright then. Thanks." She laughed, before raising her arms in the air, stretching her limbs.

"Welp!" She groaned in satisfaction at the pops of relief her body created. "I think we should head there. The Town of Beginnings is filled with a bunch of crazies right now. Maybe Horunka won't be as bad. Then we could get an in-"

"Wait." I stopped her, shaking my head and waving my arms in front of me. "With all due respect, Miss Kirie. Why're you so immediately on board with me tagging along? To be honest, you barely know me, and, vice-versa..."

I noticed her shrug and heard her say:

"I just like kids."

My gaze narrowed slightly at those four words and I slowly inched away from the female. "Oh..."

Kirie must've noticed this, because she flew to correct her words, swiftly waving her hands in front of her face.

"No no no! Not like that." She sighed. "I'm not a paedophile or anything."

"Mhm."

"I'm serious, Tokage."

I squinted at her, mouth puckering up in thought. I nodded slowly as I crossed my arms. "Of course you're not..." That was exactly what a paedophile would say.

Kirie sighed and shrugged. "Fine, go." She said, throwing her hands in the air, grumbling to herself in frustration.

"You try to do one good thing..."

I dropped my facade, and my arms, sighing and shaking my head. "I'm sorry," I started, rubbing the back of my head, giving her a weary smirk.

"It's just been a rough day..."

The blonde looked at me as she sat back down, then nodded and closed her eyes. "You're telling me..." She said, before tucking her mouth under the cover of her poncho as she settled back against the tree she was situated against before.

I watched her for a few moments before the thought of my sister quickly shot me back to reality. I was about to open my messenger and tell her where I was before the most ear-splitting, gut-wrenching sound pierced my ears.

 ** _GRUUUUOOOOHHHH!_**

Both of our eyes snapped towards the source of the sound, still as deer in headlights.

"What was that?" I gulped, eyes wide as a shiver ran up my spine.

"I dunno," Kirie said, her eyes equally enlarged, with a hint of terror. She, unlike me, bolted to her feet and rushed over, grabbing my hand. "But we have to get out of here..."

"Wai-"

"No time. Move! Go!" She yelled.

 ** _GRRRRRRUUUOOOOAHHH!_**

And we were off, hauling our butts through the forest and away from whatever produced that ungodly sound. Whatever it was, it sounded huge. I could hear trees crashing and birds flapping away from the wild disturbance. I stole a glance at Kirie after - conveniently - almost tripping over an uprooted vine.

She looked scared, horrified even. Had she ever fought, well, anything in this game before?! The thought soared through my brain. Then, realization struck me. It probably was an inopportune time to ask, but I did anyway.

"Kirie!"

After about the fourth call, she screamed back in aggravation. "What?!" And I winced. However, I wouldn't even get to ask, for the beast crashed right into the pile of trees behind us, sending everything around us skyward, dirt, trees and all. I felt the air around me as my body lifted off the ground, and right out of the lengthy expanse of the plains.

I turned my head to see Kirie wailing like a crazy woman. "Kyahhh!" She squealed. I felt the odd urge to laugh at her expression, before my body felt the harsh arrival of the ground, slamming against it with a resounding:

 ** _WHAM!_**

"Oof!"

As soon as I hit dirt, I instinctively rolled back up on all fours, like a cat who'd been sprinkled with water. I darted my eyes over to Kirie to see if she was okay.

"Kirie!"

"I'm fine! I'm good!" She groaned, sitting up with a grunt and rubbing her head.

"Ow..."

I steadily stood to my feet, eyeing the ravaged forest before me. It was completely decimated. I could see the system start to repair itself, however, the destruction was astonishing. But what took my literal breath away was what had made that mess. I had to crank my head all the way back as I stared in awe at the large creature looming over us. Red eyes gleamed like only a predator would.

And we, unfortunately, were its prey...

"What the..."

"Holy..."

Kirie had gotten to her feet as well, mouth ajar as she stood beside me. Her pupils shrank within the whites of her eyes as she eyed the ghastly creature before us. I could see her shivering through my peripheral vision, though was too engulfed in my own fear to say anything.

There, growling and snapping rabidly, stood a beast of a monster. It was covered in bristled fur, and its fangs were at least a foot long- well, at least the canines. Its claws snaked into the grass as it neared us ever slowly.

That's when I took a glimpse of its name, hovering above its head.

The Alpha.

The name brought back a flood of memories. My sister had told me about this creature. It was a field boss. One that was very tough to beat according to her. It appeared right after the initiation ceremony in the closed beta.

There was a game-wide announcement about it and nee-san said thousands of people flooded the forests of Floor 1 to find it. She said once it was defeated, the drops were really good, for the first floor at least. I mean, it was the first field boss introduced in SAO, ever. It was bound to drop some top-tier stuff.

However, she never told me how exactly they beat it, and that was one piece of information I could really use right about now. I was scared out of my mind. This was not what I signed up for! Fighting a field boss not even 4 hours after I started the game?

Some pissed off deity above must've had it out for me... I'm willing to bet it's Nemesis. You cruel mistress!

As it laid eyes on its new prey, the super-sized beast prowled around us, snapping its jaws as drool slopped from the sides of its mouth. I soon noticed something while it stalked, taking a moment to analyze it's darkened, rough fur.

There were red gashes all over his body, digital gashes. At first, I thought that was just the aesthetics of its appearance, but then I realized.

It was hurt, maybe attacked by some other group of players.

Kirie soon fumbled around and drew something from her waist. The metallic sound alerted me as I turned to see it was a dagger. That's when I pieced it all together. The poncho, the black clothing, the dagger, either she was an assassin or a thief. Though, didn't assassin's start off with curved swords?

Yeah, she was a thief.

"You save one kid... Tokage!" The blonde said, raising her guard. I'd previously opened my menu and hastily clicked on the only weapons I had, Rusty Gauntlets. Though they'd take 10 seconds to materialize.

10 seconds I didn't-

"Move!"

I felt myself being barrelled into by the teen, hitting the ground with a harsh thud as a huge claw ripped viciously at the place I was just standing. My eyes widened as I heard the sound of decreasing health, looking up to see Kirie's bar, now down to 92%.

"Kirie!" I cried out frantically, staring the huge set of claw marks on her back. She winced, yet flashed a small smile. "You okay?" She managed to ask, lifting herself off of me and turning to face the creature, brandishing her dagger.

I just stared at her, frozen in place. I couldn't speak, I couldn't move. All I could do was watch as this blonde-whom I'd just met-stood in between me and the monstrosity of a wolf before us.

"Listen to me, Tokage. I need you to run as fast as you can, okay?" She asked, eyeing the stalking creature carefully. The wolf snapped its jaws, eyeing us hungrily. I knew, the slightest chance it got, it'd pounce.

She must've known this too, for she kept waving the dagger around threateningly. It seemed to keep the wolf at bay, for now.

"No, I'm not just gonna leave you to fight that thing alone!" I yelled at her, rushing to my feet. The gauntlets had materialized, and I clenched them hard. "I can fight too! We can beat this thing. It's already been wounded!"

"No!" Kirie snapped. "I am not putting your life in danger over some stupid theory! I need you to run, now! Get out of here! I'll gather enough aggro to keep it focused on me!"

"But, Kirie!"

The blonde shot a pleading yet angered look my way. "Listen to me, Tokage!"

 ** _GRUOOOAHHHH!_**

The beast lunged, almost faster than my eyes could follow. Kirie had looked away, she'd shown a weak spot. I yelled at the top of my lungs, my right fist, sparking to life with a vivacious red light. "Kirie, behind you!"

She crossed her arms in front of her face and shut her eyes tight, screaming in frustration, yet she didn't move.

"RUN!" She roared.

Suddenly, in that split second of a moment, I could see her fear. It seemed as though everything had slowed down as if Father Time was giving us an HD, 1080p front seat look at our climatic deaths. Her arms were shaking, and tears were forming at the edge of her eyes... Part of it wasn't that she wouldn't move. She couldn't. She was frozen, just like I was before.

She was scared.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, about to ignore Kirie's orders, launch myself forward, and sink my fist right into this stupid wolf's snout, when suddenly.

"RAGGGGGHHHH!"

 _ **Fweeeen!**_

 _ **BANG!**_

 _ **GRUOAHHH!**_

An explosion of light erupted, an airborne object slamming right into the side of the wolf's nasty face. The air expanded and convulsed, erupting and knocking everyone within its vicinity away. Kirie fell back into me as we both tumbled to the grassy ground.

We rolled a few meters back, before finally coming to a stop. I was frazzled and confused. What in the world had just happened? I rubbed my eyes, suddenly feeling how weary I actually was. I blinked a few times, before noticing that Kirie was still in front of me. Her arms were spread wide and her back pressed against my knees. She covered me, protected me, even when we were blown away.

Man, she was one tough cookie.

"HEY! BUTTMUNCH!"

The voice, that tone, the familiar, dry huskiness. Raising my head from behind Kirie, I widened my eyes at the sight before me. Standing with a single, longsword, red hair tied up in a bun, and a vicious expression, my elder sister growled.

"R-REN!" I shouted, almost crying at the sight. Maybe that accursed goddess was finally giving me a break today. I salute you!

Though I soon realized how stupid I was, having garnered the attention of the Alpha once again, Almost everything on the left side of the mob's face was cleaved clean off. It snarled and snapped, it's already pretty low health dipping deeper into the yellow region.

Kirie instinctively backed up against me shielding me once again. "Stay behind me!" She said, stealing a glance at Ren, before returning her attention to the beast. However, she managed to ask:

"You know that girl?"

"OI!" Ren crouched and slipped into a pre-motion stance, narrowing her eyes which focused solely on the beast. She rested her blade against her right shoulder. "When I say run, you run! Got it?!"

The beast slowly stalked to its feet, growling lowly and flicking it's one glowing eye between Kirie and I. I instinctively backed up, tugging on Kirie's sleeve. "That girl's my sister, Kirie," I said. Before she could turn her head and look back at me in surprise, I warned her.

"Wait, stay focused! Remember what happened last time! This thing is tricky!"

Kirie grunted, yet, kept her eyes on the beast. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you had an elder sister in here with you, Tokage?!"

"I was trying to tell you, but there was the small, minute problem of us running for our lives!" I said with a frown. Kirie groaned in annoyance. Her health was pretty low as well, and she looked even more beat up than when we first met, with due reason. She had about 79% of health left.

"Come on, Kirie! We have to run this time! Not just me! Ren can handle this guy. She was in the beta, she knows how to beat it!"

"Tch!" Kirie sucked her teeth, as if she was torn between helping my sister out, or saving me. Did this woman just not give a care about her own safety?! "Kirie! Come on! This is no time to be stubborn!"

"Oh look who's talking Mr. 'We can defeat it together!'"

The wolf pounced, baring its fangs as it barrelled towards us

"MOVE IT!" Ren roared as she launched from the spot she was standing, flying towards the beast with almost blinding speed. Her body lit up in a white glow before she soared off even faster than the skill she used was taking her.

I, now pulling on Kirie's poncho, ran back. "Kirie!"

"Okay, okay!" She turned and took my hand in hers, darting off in the opposite direction whilst looking back. I did the same, watching as the beast bounded after us hungrily. I was scared, but, at the same time, I wasn't.

Why would I be? Ren was here.

 ** _WHAM!_**

My sister slammed her body diagonally into the beast, having reached it in time. Her following skill finally sprung into action. The blue glowing sword seemed to gut and entrap the beast as it ripped around its body before Ren finished with a harsh downward slash, that sent the Alpha crashing to the ground.

"RAAGH!"

 _ **BOOM!**_

Dust went airborne instantly, the skill detonating the earth itself,

Kirie had gone wide-eyed at the display of skill. I only grinned. I knew how strong my sis was, especially in this game. She was a pro and definitely knew how to hold her own.

Ren messily rolled out of the fray, red bun and all. She sprung to her feet and quickly followed us. "Move! Move! Move!" She screamed at us.

That's when we refocused and revved our afterburners.

In no time at all, Ren had caught up with us, sprinting down the prairie and back onto the path towards. "Come on! If we make it a bit farther, we'll be out of its aggro range, no matter how vicious a monster is, it always has a range of attack!"

"Right, damn it!" Kirie managed to say. I could tell the girl must've been beyond tired. But she kept pushing. "To-... Tokage, stay in front okay?!"

I gulped while running. Her voice exuded weariness. "R-Right!" I stuttered. Though, my mind floated back to the Alpha, wondering what exactly had happened to it. I turned, only to find that it was actually battling someone else.

A black-haired player, with a one-handed longsword. The boy stood in between us and the beast, fending it off with almost expert skill. As it clawed for him, he'd parry expertly before dishing out a strong counter in return. Falling into a roll, the boy hopped back up and caught my stare. He bared his teeth and readied a sword skill.

"KEEP RUNNING! I GOT THIS!" He yelled, before flashing right back into the heat of battle once again.

That's when it hit me... The marks all over the Alpha's body, how low it's health was when it attacked us. Those weren't just aesthetics. He was the one. But to bring the Alpha's health down so much all on his own...

I eyed the black-haired player hard. 'Beta testers.' I thought, turning to stare at my sister. I swallowed my admiration. These people were no joke...

Soon Ren snapped her hand out and grabbed mine. "Less gawking more running you two!"

Both Kirie and I flopped with our words as we stumbled to keep up.

"R-Right!"

"Got it!"

It'd take only a few more minutes before we'd arrive at the entrance of the Starting City, panting and heaving for breath. At least Kirie and I were. Ren looked fairly unaffected by the almost mile long run back.

She crouched down, yanking and tapping me as she checked me over. "No bruises, do you hurt anywhere? Feel woozy?" She asked, shooting a glare at my health bar as if tempting fate to try it's luck.

Fortunately, it didn't. "No, no, I'm fine. I am, really. Kirie are you-"

"Yup," Kirie said through a series of wheezes. "Peachy..."

Ren gave her a quick once over, her eyes shooting from her clothing to weaponry, then back to her face in mere seconds. "So you're a thief?" She asked, rising up again and walking over to her.

Kirie plopped down on her butt with a sigh and nod. "Yup. Don't worry, I won't steal your valuables."

Ren snorted. "Like you could."

Kirie groaned and fell back against the floor. "Right?"

That surprised my sister, eyebrows raised and everything, and I knew why. Usually, when she said something along those lines, people retaliated or got angry. Kirie just let the comment breeze by like a passing thought.

I laughed. Maybe it was the weariness or just her reaction. But the whole situation was just hilarious to me. Kirie seemed to think so too, joining in as well.

"Ohh my god, we almost died!" She cried through fits of laughter as if just noticing. Ren couldn't help but giggle and rest back against the wall west to the entrance. We weren't actually situated right outside it. We'd decided to move a good bit over, in case any overzealous players decided to pick on us.

"Geez, you both are idiots you know... I was worried sick about you idiot!" She groaned, sliding down the wall as if letting all the stress evaporate out of her. She brought her knees to her chest and rested her head against them. "I even left-"

She stopped as if just realizing what she'd done. I knew exactly who she was about to say next. I did a head check. "Where's Saito?" I asked, eyeing my sister again. She didn't respond. Kirie sat up and looked at Ren, before eyeing me.

"Who?"

"Saito, he's a friend of ours," I replied before turning to Ren. "You left him? W-why?!" I stammered, throwing my hands in the air.

"Because he wanted to play hero, Tohru!" She raised her head and frowned. "And I needed to find you. I wasn't going to wait around as he helped every single person in the city."

"Okay but still, you can just leave him in a city this wild, Ren! He could be robbed or beaten up!"

"I'm sure he's fine."

"Ren, he doesn't know anything about this game!" I growled with exasperation. "I mean-"

"You were in danger, Tohru!"

"I had it under control!"

"Oh did you now?! Because the two-ton pound demon puppy would like a second opinion!"

"Gah! Ren!"

"GUYS!"

Kirie's voice cut through our argument like a knife. We both fell silent. She huffed. "Jesus, do you two go at it like this every day?! Calm down! What happened, happened! It's done with, spilt milk. You're both right."

She turned to Ren. "He's your brother, you weren't going to wait around for someone you barely even knew while he was in danger."

She then looked my way. "He's your friend. Maybe your sister was a bit impulsive in just leaving him like that. But considering what just happened, I'm sure that was the sisterly thing to do, don't you?"

I stared at her weirdly, feeling like I'd just gotten a life lesson from a parent. I opened my mouth, but no words came out, instead, I nodded.

Ren brought her head back and chuckled dryly. "Oh god, you sound like mom..." She said. I watched as she looked up at the sky, pupils shaking with underlying worry.

"You're right." She muttered, moving to stand on her feet. "...we need to find him."

I let out a with relief, running a hand through my hair.

"Yeah."

Kirie smirked, seeing us die down and resolve our issues. "Well come on then." She said, nodding to the both of us as she slipped her dagger back into its sheath.

"We have a player to find."

Ren nodded and stepped up to take lead. "I know where I last saw him, come on, and stay close. These streets are dangerous."

The two of us agreed and followed after. I ventured further up and nudged my sister lightly. She looked over and I hugged her tight.

"Thanks," I said. "For being there."

She was quiet for a beat, before pushing me off. "Alright, alright, lemme go." She said, though the red tinge of her cheeks and averting of her gaze was enough to make my heart warm.

I duly nodded with a grin as Kirie stepped up beside us. With our goal in mind, the three of us entered back into the city, focused on finding our lost friend.

Hopefully, he'd fared better than us...

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

Things were coming to a close here. Royce was wrapping up, managing to add two new additions to his suicide squad (pun most definitely intended). I could tell he really believed in what he said. A part of me felt sorry for him. He was a victim just like every other player, trapped within a game of death, with an impossible goal ahead.

Compared to fighting through 100 whole floors of deadly monsters with his life on the line, simply falling off the edge of the world with fingers crossed didn't seem like such a bad idea.

My mind floated over to Tohru. I hoped he was safe, that Ren had found him... In hindsight, I looked very insensitive dropping finding her brother to help with this "lost cause". I literally kicked him to the curve, and the thought itself made my stomach turn.

I'd probably never see the two of them again. Knowing Ren, she most likely found him by now, and the two were on their way to Horunka if they weren't there already. I sighed. Maybe this was a lost cause. I barely knew anything about this game, and the odds were stacked so high against me. Who knew if my crazy plan would even work? I should've just went with Ren, found Tohru, and kept it moving.

I shouldn't have played hero... right?

A simple glance at the child to his right would set me straight. The little girl whimpered as she hugged her mother like a vice. The lady kept protective arms around her daughter, though looked as if she was in a daze. I could tell some part of her knew this was completely crazy. But just looking at her, I knew she was battling with her desperation. She needed help. She wanted her and her daughter to live, and she'd do anything to make sure they did, no matter how wayward...

"ANYONE ELSE?!" Royce boomed. I eyed him carefully. His speech had gone on for a good 15 more minutes. He didn't seem to be getting any more volunteers. The crowd was beginning to size him up, wondering if he was all talk or action.

The scary thing was, I really didn't know. But I wasn't planning on finding out. Checking the stability of the boxes, I nodded at the creaks and groans.

'Good, good.' I thought, looking at the back of Royce's head. 'Just have to wait for an opening.'

"I will show you all," Royce said with a confident - yet slightly mad - smile. "I will show each and every one of you the trickery of Argus. And we will see our families and friends again! I will lead you back to the world of the living!"

The crowd was swirled into an uproar. This was it. With a hard step of my left, I brought myself forward.

"WOAH! WOAH!" I roared as loud as I could, waving my hands wildly around in front of me.

The swarm of players managed to hush themselves at the new arrival. Their eyes fixated themselves on me. Some faces were confused, others were shocked at the outburst. Only Royce's expression was different. It held a degree of agitation. As if to ask "What the hell are you doing?!"

I forced myself to keep in character, placing a hand delicately across my chest. I reared back dramatically and spoke loud and clear. "Royce, what'd you just say?"

The slinky man frowned. "Excuse me?" He asked, wrinkling his brow. "What do you-"

"About bringing us to the world of the living, Royce," I said, eyeing him with caution. "Are you saying we're dead already? Are saying that we're that weak? That as soon as someone challenges us that we should simply kick the bucket?"

My words were clear and concise and the questions hung in the air as Royce searched for an answer. I wouldn't give him a chance.

"Royce, we're Japanese."

The statement was simple, yet I could feel the power behind them. The crowd was quiet as if wondering as to where I was going with this.

"We don't buckle under pressure. We don't falter at a challenge. Royce, we've made technological advances that have had the world drooling at our feet. We've changed the world as we know it many times over. We are one of the strongest nations in the world!" I spread my arms, gesturing to everyone in the crowd.

Royce quickly rebutted. "What does that have to do with us being trapped within a death game, boy?" What does us being a strong people contribute to the fact that we do not know HOW TO GET OUT OF HERE?!"

I internally smiled.

 _'Oh Royce, my man...'_ I thought, taking another step forward.

"I thought you swore that your words were true?" I asked, staring at him blankly. I tilted my head.

"I thought you promised this crowd of believers that this plan of yours would work without a hitch? That they'd be brought back to the world of the living. Because," I threw my hands around

"We're obviously dead, are we not?!" I crowed, emotion spurring back into my expression.

I took a beat to glance at Holi. Her mouth was slightly ajar. She stroked her chin, eyebrows furrowed. She was still wondering where I was going with this, her indigo eyes switching between Royce and I.

Royce growled, muttering under his breath. I brought my hand to my ear.

"What was that?!" I yelled. "I can't hear you, Royce!"

"I SAID WE MIGHT AS WELL BE!"

The crowd - which had grown noticeably larger in the past few minutes - gasped. I did the same, stumbling back, making sure to take exceptionally hard steps.

The players behind me rocked with the unstable boxes, looking at each other warily. They started to take notice of how dangerous this makeshift podium really was.

"NO!" I yelled, staring at Royce incredulously. "Are you CRAZY?! WE ARE NOT DEAD!"

Holi shot her fist into the sky.

"Yeah!" She screamed in agreement. Others stared at her briefly, before beginning to look at each other. I could almost see their trust in Royce slip away. I took another step forward.

"Royce, we will not succumb to Kayaba's petty game of life. We can survive!" I said, taking yet another step. "But I will not let you, or anyone else throw their lives away on some stupid hunch that might just get a mother and her _young child_ killed!" I turned, gesturing back at the woman and her daughter.

The mother had tears streaming down her cheeks, crouching down and hugging her daughter close. I could tell now. Royce's brainwash was broken. She finally let reasoning sink in. She wasn't going to jump. The child had her arms around her mother, crying in relief, or weariness. I couldn't tell.

But I smiled.

I returned to Royce, the whole crowd breaking into mutters and whispers. He scowled at me, fists balled so tight, his knuckles had turned white. He growled almost wildly and I gave him a sorrowful look.

"Royce, we can't drive these people to do this. You know that." I said, this time speaking personally towards him. "You have to help me. This crowd needs some real hope. Something solid and rational, something that can guarantee their survival. Not throwing themselves over a railing and hoping for the best."

Though I spoke with conviction, Royce wasn't having any of it. His face was beet red as he took an exceptionally hard step towards me.

"You...!"

"Royce-"

"YOU!" He screamed.

I watched as he lunged, the large crowd gasping behind him. I narrowed my eyes, slipping back and solidifying my footing. I knew one way or another, he wasn't going to take this sitting down. But hey, no harm in trying.

If he'd thrown a normal punch, he would've still held a shred of dignity. But drawing his weapon - a one-handed dagger, that was where I knew the crowd had lost all faith in him. Ren's words sparked into memory.

Put that sword away! We're still civil here!

He swung with ferocity for someone of his size, though in a wide and predictable arc. In comparison to Ren's sword swings, it wasn't anything special. I took a step forward, remembering an old self-defence lesson my mother once taught me.

 _"Remember Satoru." She said, taking a step forward as she mimicked swinging a knife, aimed at my face. The swing was wildy and careless. "Force yourself into their line of attack."_

Shove.

 _"The initial movement will confuse them. Why the hell are ya running towards the attack? That's when you snap your hands out!"_

Lock.

 _"And with all your strength, pull on their attacking arm-"_

 _"Slide yourself back!" I said, doing exactly that._

 _"And!"_

Flip.

"Aghh!"

Royce when airborne. My hands were locked on his sword arm and my body was directly under him. With a hard crash, I flung him into the boxes below, the force of impact sending him right through the unstable flooring.

No one spoke. No one breathed. Everyone simply watched as I raised my body, let out a defiant breath, and blew my hair out of my face.

I turned and glared at the crowd, anger spiking within me. However, I channelled it properly, roaring at the top of my lungs.

"WE WILL SURVIVE! WE WILL BEAT KAYABA, AND WE WILL LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER DAY!"

Holi stared at me in complete awe, before her mouth split into a bright grin. She raised both fists this time and yelled at the top of her lungs.

"THAT'S RIGHT!"

The crowd, considering and weighing what'd just happened, began to scream and yell in agreement. I watched silently as within minutes the crowd, was whipped up into a frenzy of cheering and acclaim.

My heart soared. I looked back at the players behind me, specifically the mother and her child. The woman gave me a bright, tear-filled smile.

"Thank you." She mouthed quietly.

I couldn't help but smile back, giving her a silent nod in reply.

 _'Your welcome.'_

I motioned with my head for them and the rest of players to get off the platform. It was unsafe, as they'd just seen, and I didn't want them getting hurt. Soon enough, when everyone was off, I hopped down as well, and the crowd surrounded me. Geez, there must've been at least 100 of 'em crammed up in this little street.

I was swiftly greeted by a hug from my blue-haired cheerleader, laughing happily.

"Oh my god you were awesome, Saito!" Holi cried.

I chuckled, returning the hug. As we let go she sighed.

"Man, first Raiden, now you..."

I tilted my head to the right with a confused frown. "Who's that?"

She shook her head and laughed. "Nevermind. What're you gonna do with this crowd you've pulled together?" She asked, looking around.

I did as well, seeing everyone cheering and applauding. "Well, not just me..." I said, turning to the collapsed boxes. Royce was gone, probably slinked off somewhere after my little spiel.

I sighed.

"I have a plan, would've liked his help though." I said.

Holi poked my cheek and I turned to see her cheerful smile. "Isn't that why you have all of us?" She asked.

I eyed her with surprise. "You're gonna help out?"

"Yup," She said, patting the fanny pack attached to the small of her back. "Plus, you might need a medic close by in case things get crazy."

I couldn't help but grin, nodding. "Alright then! Nice to meet ya, partner." I said, offering my hand. She laughed and took it in hers with a shake.

"Same, come on," Holi said, using our linked hands to guide me. "I have some friends I want you to meet. They've already started to help out within the city, bringing a hundred plus supporters would be a godsend."

I nodded understandingly, turning to the crowd as I motioned them with a welcoming hand.

"Come on everyone!" I said, watching as the filled street of players, players of all different sizes and ages, genders, and even nationalities - not just Japanese, began to follow the two of us.

Holi and I made our way towards the centre of town, where we'd meet allies that would help us bring order to the city once more.

My mind floated back to Ren and Tohru, wondering just what exactly they were doing. Hopefully, Tohru was safe. Hopefully, they'd made it to Horunka safely. That's all I could do really.

Hope for the best.

That's all any of us could do. Hope and pray. This game would be crazy. People would get hurt. Others, might even die. But if I continued to hold onto that hope, onto that faith that had been spurred into our very hearts...

Then I had no doubt in my mind that together, we'd be able to see the sun of the real world once more...

And, like Royce had said, we would see our friends and family again.

No doubt.

* * *

Letting the group of many leave, two players stayed behind.

They watched the brown-haired player march along with his new group of allies. One of the duo, a male, smiled noticeably, looking on as the crowd moved along down the street.

His black hair billowed lightly with the slightest gust, equally black eyes glistening with intrigue.

"Interesting."

His mouth curved upwards even more so as he waited until the mob was completely gone, before turning and placing a hand atop his partner's head. The girl watched on in silence, giving the whole situation a stoic expression.

"Come, Hyper-chan," The male turned, the movement graceful and smooth in its execution. "We have much work to do."

The girl nodded and accompanied her taller partner.

"Yeah."

 ** _Womph!_**

"Ack!" The man keeled to the side, clutching his ribs.

The girl retracted her elbow with a sigh.

"And don't call me that."

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ACII Media Works and Yen Press. I only own my characters and concepts.)


	5. Guardian Angels

_**Guardian Angels**_

* * *

A drink, that was _all_ that was asked of me, just a drink. And yet, at the end of this brief conversation, I'd taken in more than just an alcoholic beverage.

Insight.

The man sitting across from me exuded it. Intelligence flowed out of him in waves. Black orbs, endless in their knowledge, peered at me with quiet amusement. I felt like a hare under his wolfish gaze, as if this little booth was nothing more than steel prison, and he was the only one with the key.

And yet, in spite of that inferior feeling, his words poured out with such grace and respect, that I couldn't help but continue to listen.

"Royce." The man started, laying his cup of tea down. He clasped his hands like a gentleman, giving me a kind smile.

" _You_ , are a special person."

I raised my eyebrow, leaning back in my seat. Who in the world was this guy?

Actually no, my first question would be, who in the hell was that ridiculously handsome?!

The man in front of me smiled even gentler at my reaction.

He had windswept black hair which flowed to the right, tickling the tips of his well-trimmed black eyebrows. His olive skin shone under the flood lamp above that lit our little booth.

As the commotion outside had considerably increased since Kayaba's announcement, the man's calm demeanor contrasted the atmosphere almost creepily. I started to edge towards the end of my seat, wanting to just go about my way, however, a hand slammed against the table, shocking me.

I yelped and scrambled back against the wooden surface of my seat.

"Stop moving and let him talk." The voice of a young female sounded about. I stared at the previously quiet player, next to the man. She glared at me with piercing red eyes.

Her black hair was tied up in a ponytail; she couldn't have been a day over 18. She, along with the man she accompanied, had nothing but simple civilian gear equipped, so I had absolutely no idea what weapons they used, or even what kit they'd started out with.

" _Alright_ , alright..." I grumbled, scooting back in.

The man sighed, placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder. He gave her a solemn look and she visibly calmed down, closing her eyes and crossing her arms. From then until the end of the conversation, she stayed quiet.

"I'm sorry about that, Royce."

My eyebrow flew up once again. This time it was my turn to cross my arms. "Again with that... How do you know who I am?" I asked, tilting my head.

The man laughed, his shoulders shaking up and down with mirth.

"Are you not the man who gathered hundreds of players together?" He asked, head tilting in the same direction as mine.

He smiled.

I didn't.

Gripping my left arm, I glared at the man.

What game was he playing? Did he not see how that turned out? That sniveling little brat stole all my thunder! He literally swept the foundation I set from right under my feet and spit in my face!

All my followers! All those people that could've...

The man seemed to sense my distress.

"Royce, I will say this again. You are special."

I looked up to him weirdly. "You sound very sure of yourself, dude."

He laughed, shrugging his shoulders and leaning back against his seat. "Well, I have a knack for seeing potential in people that others don't." He said, eyes trailing over to the female player at his side.

The girl met his glance before quickly looking away. No matter how subtle, her blush was hard to hide. I rolled my eyes and huffed, still indignant about this whole thing.

"So, what now? You've come to me at my lowest to... what? Recruit me?"

"Recruit you?" He asked, leaving a minute moment of silence to hang in the air, before bursting into a fit of laughter.

I stared onward with derision. This guy was really starting to get under my skin. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Why did he ask for this drink? What was his game plan?

What the hell did he want...?

"No, Royce." He sighed, having calmed down a bit. "I don't want your recruitment." He smiled that same gentle smile, showing no ill intent.

"I want your help."

Yet again, my eyebrows rose.

"My help?" I asked. "Help with what? I'm not a beta tester you know. I can barely fight on my own."

The man grinned, his white teeth flashing their cleanliness.

"But by _God_ you can speak! Better than any other I've known! You were able to persuade more than 50 people with mere speech alone!" He praised, ogling me with impressed eyes.

"You are by far one of the best public speakers I've ever seen, and we could definitely use your help in the future."

I felt flattered. To be commended by someone of this man's caliber, who I guessed—by the way he carried himself and spoke—had a good bit of success under his belt, it felt good. However, I couldn't just blindly say yes.

Only a fool would.

"Thanks, for the compliments. But, you still haven't answered my question. What do you need me for?" I asked, peering at the handsome individual with caution.

My eyes narrowed.

"And who in the world are you?"

The man gasped, bringing the tips of his right fingers to his mouth. "Oops. Of course, those are two key pieces of information aren't they?" He chuckled.

With a grin so confident I _had_ to sit back, the man introduced himself.

"My name is Masato Tsukuda, but you can call me Grimoire." He then patted the young woman on the shoulder.

"This is Hyperion. Just call her Hyper-chan. She loves it!"

"No, I don't." Came the curt response.

Grimoire laughed, returning his gaze to meet mine. His smile then became much less evident, and his eyes lost their warm radiance.

Grimoire's expression became one of the utmost seriousness, and his once gentle and inviting aura quickly dispersed, giving way to the cold, stoic truth underneath...

"And we, _my friend_ , are planning to save this world."

 **Reiha (Ren) Takagi**

* * *

"You wanna go, bitch?!"

"What's a cute little redhead gonna do against us? Haha!"

"Please miss! We have no one else!"

"Onee-san!"

I rolled my eyes to the heavens, wondering to myself:

 _'How the hell did I get into this mess?!'_

 _ **3 Hours Earlier**_

In the span of time it'd taken for us to re-enter the city, get onto the main road, and look for our curly-haired optimistic friend, we'd been sidetracked like 100 times...

Kirie and I literally had to pull Tohru away every time he tried to help someone. A speck of dust could drop in the middle of the galaxy somewhere and I put 1,000,000 Yen he'd be the first responder, broom, dustpan and all.

Speaking of Kirie... she was something of a mystery.

She seemed to get along with Tohru well. Plus, she did protect him when he was outside the safe zone.

I didn't really know what to think of her.

I mean, the first time I laid eyes on her she was in front of the little idiot, protecting him from The Alpha, with no shield and no armor. The girl was basically naked. Yet, she put her life on the line for some kid she barely even knew.

That wasn't something you'd see in this day and age...

"Hm." I hummed.

"Ren, you okay?!"

The blonde's voice cut through my thoughts. Reality swirled back into being, and—once again—I was greeted by the chaos of Floor 1.

"Yeah, yeah!" I called out over the commotion. My mind raced to my little brother, and with a quick visual scan, I found him. He was in front of us, searching around the street we were on.

"Tohru, don't stray!" I called after him, heading over and grabbing at his shoulder to pull him back to me.

"Ack, Nee-san!"

"I lost you once already! Do _not_ try that bullshit with me again." I reprimanded. He took the scolding silently with a nod.

Kirie caught up with a sigh. "This is getting us nowhere. The city's in disarray. How are we going to find him here?" She asked, running a stray lock of hair over her right ear.

I eyed her for a moment.

"Hey, just a thought." I started.

She looked over at me, raising an eyebrow. "Hm?"

I pointed at the dagger sheathed at her hip, asking: "Ever thought about using a shield instead?"

"Eh?" She mumbled, guffawing at the mere thought.

The thief soon dissolved into fits of laughter. "M-me?! A shield?!"

I pouted.

"What? You like shoving yourself in front of danger, dontcha?" I asked plainly.

The laughing ceased at my comment.

Kirie's gaze dropped to the ground and she immediately crossed her arms.

I smirked.

She was actually thinking about it, wasn't she? Plus, what was so bad about a girl wielding a shield. Wouldn't be the first time, would it?

Even if it was, I didn't see anything wrong with it.

"HEY!"

Tohru's scream rocked us both from our conversation, snapping our attention over to the boy.

"What?!"

"Tohru?!"

My brother growled, shoving his pointer finger down the street. My eyes trailed upwards, following the path from his finger to what it had fixated on.

There, in the distance, three boys—around Tohru's age—had encircled a young child, a girl, around maybe 9 or 10-years old. I tilted my head slowly, watching as they screamed and kicked at the ground around her, visibly scaring the living daylights out of the child.

"Eep!"

"Come on girl! Give us your potions and shit!"

"Yeah, just stay in town and you'll be fine! We need 'em more than you!"

" _Papa!_ " She sobbed, backing away as far as she could.

My eyebrows slowly rose as I started to put the pieces together. I went to grab hold of Tohru. However, I was too late. The boy was in full sprint, barreling right for the group of boys.

"You punks!"

"Tohru!" I cried out, cursing under my breath.

Kirie rushed by me. "Come on, Ren!"

" _Gah!_ " I groaned, running after the two.

In no time at all, my idiot brother threw himself right into the nearest one, tackling the boy to the ground before instantly assaulting him with a right hook. He raised his hand to strike again before being yanked off by another of the group, who in turn sunk their fist into his gut.

Tohru heaved at the lack of air.

"So ya came back huh, pipsqueak?" The dirty blonde laughed. His fist was raised, aimed to strike my brother's face.

He wouldn't get the chance.

As the fist soared, my palm intercepted it. I quickly nullified the momentum, tensing my muscles to halt the punch in its tracks.

"Eh?" The boy looked up, only to be greeted with a hellish glare from yours truly. I gripped the boy's fist like a vice, gaze ever narrowing.

"Let _go_." I muttered, tightening my hand around the fist until my knuckles turned white.

 _Crck!_

The blonde squeaked, swiftly unclenching his fist from Tohru's collar and backing away. He was quickly greeted by his entourage, backing up as he shook out his reddened hand.

Before he could do anything stupid, I jerked on that same collar, flinging my brother behind me. I could hear Kirie cooing to the little girl as she approached, securing her in her arms.

"Ow... my hand!" The blonde haired boy whined, coddling his wrist as he screamed at me.

"You crazy bitch!"

"Hey!" Tohru sprang to his feet, ready to go at it once again.

"What'd you say you little twerp?!" I chimed in, taking a heavy step forward and smacking my fist into my left palm. I growled, having half a mind to lay his puny ass out right then and there.

Kirie pulled me back to reality.

"Ren! Tohru! It's over." She said, hoisting the little girl up as she cradled her. "The little girl's safe. See?"

I briefly glanced behind me, before returning my glare to the group of slowly retreating boys, balling my fists tight, before sucking my teeth and grabbing for Tohru.

My brother yelled as I pulled him away. My ears perked at the sound of waning footsteps.

They ran off.

"That's right idiots! Better run!" He sneered victoriously.

I stole a lasting glance over my shoulder to see that they'd disappeared in the disarray. I then returned to the three—well, four now—of us, eyeing the little girl in particular. The child was cuddled in Kirie's arms, face buried in the crook of her neck.

She was crying.

I instantly felt a pang of shame course through my body, averting my gaze and eyeing the ground. I literally acted like a child just now. That wasn't the way a 16-year old should've conducted themselves, especially against a group of middle-school kids.

My dad would've had a heart attack if he knew.

I let go of Tohru, who quickly went over to reassure the crying child that everything was going to be ok. I looked at him with a sigh, before my gaze trailed up to Kirie.

She smiled at me, motioning with her head.

"Come on. Let's find someplace to sit down. It's not safe out here."

I duly nodded, and we set off to find a quieter spot.

 _ **20 minutes later**_

"So you lost your papa?" Kirie asked, interacting with the little girl.

"Uhuh!" The little brown haired girl nodded eagerly, eyes shining with innocence. "I was walking with daddy and then there was this white light! Then, I was lost, and I couldn't find him! And then... And then there was this huge scary thing with no face! And then I tried to look for him! B-but... But I couldn't..."

"Shh..." Kirie soothed. She let the little girl cry under her poncho, smiling sadly as she brushed a stray brunette lock from the girls face.

"W-we'll find your papa!" Tohru hurriedly spoke up, slamming his hands down at the pub table. I saw the child's head shoot up to gaze at him. She stared as if he were his hero

I couldn't help but smile as she asked,

"Really?"

She looked to Kirie, who in turn looked to me.

I raised an eyebrow, sitting back against the cool leather seats. Suddenly a memory sparked to life, and before me wasn't Kirie, nor the little girl... not even Tohru.

Who sat next to me was none other than Saito.

 _The brown-haired boy eyed me with gentle eyes and a coy smile. He leaned against his hand, giving me a playful wink, as if to say:_

 _"You got this."_

I blinked a few times, reality settling back in, before letting the small upward quirk of my lips signify my smirk. What in the world was that? I had no idea, but for some reason, Saito was the one whose reassurance I needed.

I rolled my eyes and sat back, eyeing Kirie and then the little girl.

"Yeah, of course, we'll help." I said, completely disregarding my common sense. I needed to find Saito... and needed to apologize for leaving him.

It was pretty damn heartless of me. Though, if I had to pick again between him and Tohru, I hope he knew - just like before - I wouldn't hesitate.

 _"Remember, Little Red. Once you make a decision that you believe is right, you stick by it, with all your heart, no matter what anyone says. Your gut is always, always right."_

My mother's smile bloomed into existence, and my heart couldn't help but break, just a bit. My parents... They must've been worried sick to their stomachs.

Especially mom.

But I hope they had enough faith in me to get both Tohru and I out of here alive. We'd probably be banned from playing video games for life when this was all over.

I managed to chuckle at that happy little thought, opening my eyes to see the little girl eyeing me curiously. Her big brown eyes blinked innocently, and I couldn't help but think:

 _'Kawaii.'_

"You okay, Ren?" Kirie asked, her head tilted in the same direction. I snorted at the uncanny resemblance between the two, waving away their worry.

"Yeah, yeah, just remembered something..." I said, turning to Tohru. "Alright, kiddo," I started, lightly tapping his chin with my right knuckles.

"You know finding this little girl's father's gonna take time out of finding Saito, right? It may take a few hours, the whole day even."

I could hear the little girl whimper at my comments. Kirie quickly went to reassure her and I caught her name.

Mia curled up, seeming to feel very comfortable around Kirie. I silently noted that, giving the little girl a reassuring smile, following up with a deadpanned look in the blonde's direction.

Kirie rolled her eyes and motioned for me to continue. Tohru beat me to it.

"It's okay! Saito's really good at making friends! Plus he's pretty good at using that curvy sword! Right now," he mumbled, looking over to Mia.

"Mia needs her father."

I could see the sadness in his eyes, as if he was picturing himself in the same position. A nine-year-old boy, lost in a world gone to hell, without his father to take care of him, having to put his trust in three individuals he'd never even seen before.

In fact, he _was_ in that situation, just a while ago. Again, I looked over to Kirie, who was eyeing Tohru like a proud parent.

She then turned and gave me a determined nod. "Let's find this girl's father."

I agreed, running my hands up into my hair and redoing my bun.

"Yeah, let's." I smirked, finishing the pseudo-bun and slipping out of the pub seat.

The four of us congregated outside of the pub. As we exited, I let my eyes take in the sheer dissonance of the city. Players were stealing from each other. Mobs of people were fighting. I counted at least 6 group fights on this street alone.

Players were crying, screaming, pleading for someone to get them out of here, for a savior that wasn't there...

I frowned, averting my eyes and turning away. When you stopped to actually take a gander at what exactly you were dealing with...

It was a hard thing to see.

Kirie nudged my shoulder as she arrived at my right. I turned my head to see her playful wink.

"No time for that." She reprimanded, adjusting the now expectant Mia in her arms. The little girl looked onward with childish resolve, and that gave me the boost I need.

I nodded, understanding exactly what Kirie meant. Looking to the left of me, I saw Tohru, arms crossed and a tenacious pout gripping at his expression.

"Right." I sighed, pulling myself together and taking the first step. "Let's go!"

We departed, leaving behind the tiny little pub. I took one last look, the symbol of a winged pig getting farther and farther away.

This was the pub Saito had taken Tohru and I a few hours prior... I couldn't forget it. I wouldn't forget it. Until I met up with him again. I wouldn't forget anything about our encounter until I was able to see him again.

That, right there, was a promise.

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

" _So_." I hummed, raising an eyebrow and scanning the room.

Before me, around a round table, sat three figures. The first was a tall, dark-skinned man, with a two-handed axe situated against the side of his chair. The man had no hair atop his head, yet a clean-cut, arrow-shaped beard. He wore two earrings on his left ear, and his normal civilian gear. He looked sturdy as an ox, and that large axe proved that he must've been quite strong.

Next to him was a weirdly good-looking middle-aged man, with kind brown eyes and long beige hair, tied up into a ponytail. He looked pretty muscular himself, tall, and physically strong. His face held scholarly features, with one thick lock of hair hanging from the left of his face. Behind the man was what looked like a tower shield, a sword hanging in its scabbard against the chair he was situated in. He wore normal civilian clothing as well.

He gave me a smile, one which I returned, before my eyes landed on the last player. The girl's brown eyes stared at me closely, her curly, auburn hair flowing down the sides of her face, before stopping right at her chin. She wore a poncho similar to a thief, with a hood partially covering her head. The girl sniffed at the air and crossed her legs, fiddling around with a dagger and using it to pick at her nails. She noticed my look and squinted at me.

Obviously, I squinted back.

"Who's this, Holi?" The man in the middle spoke, keeping his eyes on me. He tilted his head, adjusting his already proper posture, to somehow make it even more appropriate.

My blue-haired friend had just entered from outside, where 100+ anxious players stood around waiting. She smiled, approaching our little group of uncertainty.

"This, is Saito." She said, patting my shoulder, before gesturing to the three respectively to how I described them.

"Saito, this is Agil, Heathcliff, and Argo. They're all players who've come together to help stabilize Aincrad." She said.

I gave one long definite wave to the three before me. "Nice to meet you all." I greeted, "Hopefully we can help Aincrad _not_ implode."

"Yeah," Agil chortled. "That would be for the best."

His voice was deep and full, rumbling the very pits of my stomach with that simple phrase. He gave me a warm smile, and nodded my way. I responded in kind.

"It's good to see players as young as you with good heads on their shoulders." The man named Heathcliff spoke, crossing his legs as well. He placed clasped hands against them, continuing to eye me silently.

"Saito, is it?" The one deemed as Argo finally spoke, flipping her dagger in her hand, before pointing the butt of the weapon in my direction.

"What's so good about him, Holi-chan?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. "Looks like a normal kid."

"Kid?" I raised an eyebrow. "And how old are you?"

"Ya never ask a woman's age, Sai- _bou_." She chided.

"Argo, please-" Holi tried to interject.

I snorted. "When you _get_ there, let me know so I can implement that course of action."

The curt response must've offset her thinking, for she raised an eyebrow, eyeing me weirdly. She sat back in her seat, a smile slipping onto her countenance. She chuckled.

"I like him."

I smirked, hearing Holi sigh with relief. Heathcliff sighed as well, resting his hands atop the table now. "I'm glad you've joined in our efforts, Saito. But," He then turned to the medic beside me. "Why single him out from the others."

Holi grinned, "Let me tell you."

5 minutes later

"Wow." Heathcliff sat back in his seat, eyeing me with much more intrigue than before. "Saito, was it? You were able to bring together that many people in that short amount of time?" He laughed.

"It took Raiden a whole three other players and a lot of heavy influence from my friend Agil here before anyone started to take him serious."

There was that name.

Before I could speak and ask who this mysterious guy was - who happened to share the name of my favorite Mortal Kombat character. Seriously, I should've thought about that in the naming process - Holi took a step forward, eyeing around the little tavern.

"Where is Raiden anyway? He was here before I left."

Agil spoke up next, standing to his feet. "He went to meet with a few players and try quelling things on the west end of the city. Remember, that brother of his said he only has until day's end before he has to leave."

I raised an eyebrow. "His brother gave him a time limit?"

"You should've seen it." Agil laughed. "That boy had the whole crowd at his throat. If it wasn't for Raiden watering down his words, things would've probably gotten out of hand."

"Sounds like an interesting guy."

" _Indeed,_ " Heathcliff said, as if reminiscent of the moment. I sensed something odd about the man ever since I'd met him, as if he was holding something back, whatever that might be.

The way he eyed me, the way he spoke, the way he acted, in general, threw me off. But I decided to not touch on it, storing that speculation in the back of my mind for now.

"Well," I said, motioning with my head to the door. "They're getting restless out there, and Holi said you guys had some plans. I do too. But we should get them working first, at least give them something to do."

"Ra-bou was leading this troupe, but then he had to step out. We're waiting until he comes back." Argo said, continuing to pick at her nails.

I nodded.

"Huh," I mumbled, ruffling my hair. "So, that's it? We're just... waiting until he comes back?"

"Well, I went out to gather more people who were willing to help out." Holi chimed in, adjusting her pack. She then looked to me.

"Then I found you, and we brought back a good amount of supporters. Which is better than I imagined it would be."

"Right," I said, before turning to the rest of them. "But this is a trying time for people. We can't just have them lingering out there like sitting ducks until whoever this guy comes back. He didn't go over the plan with you all?"

"Well, he has a limited window, right? He wants to help everyone he can, and from the time I've met him, Raiden will jump at any chance he gets to defend anyone he can, even if they're on the other side of the city." Holi said, trying to smooth over my sharp questioning.

"Okay..." I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Okay."

I heard rustling in front of me, lifting my head to see Heathcliff staring at me.

"What?" I asked finally, frowning.

"What would you do, Saito?" He asked. "At this very moment, what do you think we should do. Obviously, you don't want us to wait, instead of that, what do you think would be the best course of action?"

The question caught me subtly off guard, my surprise further emphasized by the various pairs of eyes, that were now focused on me.

Suddenly I was now thrust into the position of leader.

I looked at everyone, eyes wide with disbelief before they narrowed and fell to the floor in thought.

"What would I do...?" I muttered to myself, mulling over the question, before raising my head moments later.

"I'd act, now, before people start to get rowdy and anxious. I'd put them to work immediately. Kayaba's words still ring in people's ears. They're scared. If they're left alone to think and process too long, they begin to psych themselves out, and that's where fear stems from." I said.

I turned to Agil. "From what I've collected, you look like a sturdy player, and you also aren't the stoic type. You have no problem speaking up. Like a proud warrior. Having someone like you at the forefront of our little troupe would be nothing short of beneficial." I said, recycling Argo's word for our cause.

I turned and addressed Heathcliff next. "You're a cognitive person, you're analytical. You think before acting, and you choose your words carefully. You'd also be a perfect person to lead a group of wayward players down the right path."

I didn't even wait, focusing on the last player, Argo. The girl had stopped picking her nails, narrowly eyeing me. Her careful gaze focused on my being, as if this had just now become a test, to see if my evaluation of her was correct or not.

Fortunately, I didn't disappoint.

"You're not a leader, Argo."

She smirked. "Look who's smart."

My mouth twitched upwards as I continued. "In fact, you don't look like much of a warrior either, not that you'd want to be, would you?"

The girl snickered as she lounged back in her chair. "Not in the slightest. In the beta I was an info broker, and that's exactly what I'm going to do in here. I'll leave slaying monsters to these guys." She said, pointing her dagger crudely at Agil and Heathcliff.

The latter had a wide grin on his face, as if he'd just found the missing piece to a puzzle.

"Excellent." He said with proud eyes.

I smiled awkwardly. "Heh, right. Anyways," I turned and addressed Agil again. "I think you and Heathcliff should split those groups up. One group should be focused on finding more players to join our cause, and the other would be garnered towards putting out the small fires starting here and there."

"Like Royce?" Holi asked.

"Exactly." I nodded, turning to Argo. "And Argo, I think you would actually have the most pull with players who aren't warriors. Players who don't want to fight."

"You mean non-warriors?" The info broker raised an eyebrow. "There are going to be quite a few."

"Yep!" I smiled. "That's the first thing we should do. divvy up the teams. Give people jobs to do, keep them busy, and just like that, Aincrad will be on the mend."

I huffed with finality, looking around. "Thoughts? Concerns?" I asked, wanting to know what they had in mind about the idea.

"Huh, that might actually work." Agil said, nodding. "If we establish these groups now. It will be easier to sort players in whatever category they'd like. It gives them the freedom of choice, as well as gets things done."

"And, with the increased numbers, players will be more inclined to join. You know, mob mentality and all that." Argo chimed in, lounging even further back in her chair. She wiggled her nose at the idea, smiling.

"This could actually work."

Heathcliff nodded. "It is indeed a good strategy, probably the best we have right now."

"Right," Holi said, heading towards the door. "Saito, come with me so we can address the crowd."

"Ah, yeah, right," I said, walking after her. "Come on guys, le-"

My skin tingled, and not a second later I flung my right hand out, grabbing Holi and pulling her away.

 _ **BLAM!**_

A moment later, the door whipped itself open, banging against the wall before creaking slowly to a stop.

I'd pulled her away, just in the nick of time. That would've been a serious concussion. I heard movement behind me, though my eyes were focused on the cause of the door-beating.

Slouched in posture, with his hands grasping at his knees, a man panted heavily. My eyes narrowed as I warily took a step forward.

"Sir, are you okay?"

"What in the world..." Holi muttered.

The man raised to his full height, a head or two taller than me, just a bit shorter than Agil. He had clean yet long black hair for a male, which stopped at his chin. His obsidian eyes glimmered with fear and desperation. It reminded me of that mother and her child...

"Please!" The man pleaded.

A mother who would do anything to save her-

"-daughter! Help me find my daughter!"

Both of my eyebrows shot into my hairline, and my face took on an expression of worry.

"Ah, crap..."

 **Kiyo (Kirie) Suzuki**

* * *

We'd been searching for Mia's father for a while now. However, traversing a tragedy-stricken city while basing the details of a man on the description of a shaken up child, no older than 10 years of age...

Needless to say, it was tough.

"Didn't we already head down this way?" I sighed, taking a look around. Indeed that was the same red and goldsmithing mat from before. The NPC, a middle-aged man with a thick beard and kind eyes, smiling as he went over his items as programmed.

It was funny, how unaffected the game itself was despite all that'd happened in the past few hours. As we'd searched around, I'd taken notice of the AI in the game. They kept their appearances and personalities the same as before Kayaba's reveal.

We even passed that cul-de-sac where the kit booths were located. Those maids were still assaulting anyone within the radius of their vision, driving them towards one of the stations in order for them to get their desired starting equipment.

Then again, they were AI. They were designed to do a certain thing and only that. They weren't burdened with emotions or the like. The right act would activate the programmed response, and that's how it went.

The game, as a whole, continued. While we cried, while we pled to the sky above for a miracle, nothing of the sort would occur. Life in here would continue as normal. There were no angels from above who would come down and save us.

This was our reality now... And the faster people grasped that reality, the easier it would be to keep their heads on straight.

But for some people, the reality was too much. Wasn't that the whole reason they'd purchased such a game? To become something they weren't in real life? A hero, a thief, a great cook, a phenomenal dancer, a renowned samurai, an ambiguous archer...

There were _so_ many things this game offered, and so many ways to strip us away from the life we lived. SAO was a way for us to deal with our demons... A way for us to actually see the world the way we _wanted_ to see it.

But now, the reality was back.

And it was stronger than ever before. This wasn't a fantasy anymore. From the moment those Warning signs left the sky, SAO was no longer a game.

This was our lives.

Our reality.

"Hey," Ren mumbled. I adjusted Mia on my shoulders, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" I asked, walking up next to her. "You okay, Ren?"

"I remember that place." She said, pointing in the direction of an exceptionally tall building in the distance, shrouded over by other small buildings in closer proximity. It seemed to be one of the tallest in the Starting City actually.

I squinted, due to the afternoon sun glaring at us from above, but I soon got a good look at what she was talking about.

"Ah, what is that? Looks like-"

"A church." Ren said, a hopeful smile dancing onto her features. Tohru, who was in the middle of our little group, looked up to his big sister.

"Okay, so what?"

"Yeah, Miss Ren." Mia chimed in, atop my head. "Is the church good?"

"Yeah, Mia." Our Ren laughed. "It's pretty darn good. That's where weary players and non-warriors used to congregate on the First Floor. It was known Aincrad-wide as a peaceful place of relaxation."

"Non-warr- oh, players who don't have offensive skills." I nodded. "Makes sense. Welp, that's the best lead we've got right now."

"Right!" Tohru beamed, slamming his right fist into his left palm. "Let's check it out!"

"Yay!" Mia cheered. Ren smirked and nodded at me, before heading our group down the path towards the church, a little side road in our expansive street, less populated than the others.

Players were still quite rowdy though.

People were looting blacksmiths shops, fights were abundant, and the amount of tears I saw streaming down players' faces would be enough to hydrate the Sahara...

Though, I tried to keep positive. Not for me, but for Mia. She was too young for this. Every time I noticed her looking around, I'd say:

"Eyes forward, Mia."

She'd reply: "Yes, ma'am." And I couldn't help but smile. I could only protect her as much as the situation would permit me before we reunited her with her father.

After that, I didn't know. But, despite the dark atmosphere, Mia seemed to have no problem keeping a good attitude. She hummed a little tune as we traversed down the street.

Soon enough, the church came closer into view.

" _Sugoi_..." Tohru breathed.

The church itself was quite large, covering a space of around 2 blocks. This, of course, included the open-air plaza in front of the cathedral. The plaza was filled with players. Most were arguing, while others were curled up on benches or on the ground, nursing themselves. Some players were children, others were full-fledged adults.

As we'd gotten closer, my eyes trailed the walls of the church to its full height. I frowned. Ren said this place used to be a pinnacle of peace and relaxation in the beta. Where players came to rest and hang out...

But now, the building loomed over us, a menacing foreshadowing of the days to come.

It didn't look peaceful. The stain glass windows were darkened by the afternoon sky, and the building's height shrouded us in its expansive shadow.

I heard Tohru gulp as he took a hesitant step forward. "Ren, are you sure this is the right church."

"This is the _only_ church, come on," Ren said, heading into the plaza. "And keep close..."

She made sure to keep an eye on Tohru, both of us did. He was a spirited kid and just needed a watchful eye sometimes. Mia rested her arms on my head, muttering to me.

"I'm scared..."

I smiled and rubbed her legs reassuringly. "Don't worry, we won't let anything bad happen to you. I said, raising my head and giving her a warm smile.

"Trust me."

Mia smiled and nodded. "Okay, Miss Kirie. Thank you."

Ren, however, didn't bode the same aura of warmth. She soon stopped as we neared the entrance of the church.

There was a noticeable crowd gathered around the entrance. Most of the players were males, in their late twenties to early thirties. They were screaming and hollering at the top of their lungs at some person.

I couldn't make it out from my distance, and the fact that I was hopelessly short didn't help. But Mia saw it.

She wailed. "Ah! Miss Ren, Miss Kirie! That woman's being attacked!"

Something sparked in both of us, and we stole a quick look at each other. Not another moment passed, before I quickly draped Mia off my shoulders and into my arms, putting her down.

Ren was already off. "Kirie, stay with Tohru and Mia!" She said, running off towards the large group. I groaned as I looked back at Mia.

"What exactly did you see, Mia?" I asked prudently. "Hurry now."

"Th-there was a woman," The little girl frantically tried to put words together. "She was b-being pushed around by some older guys."

Tohru growled. "Why those littl-"

"Tohru, no," I said, turning to watch Ren fly into the fray. I quickly returned myself to the two. However, in doing so, I took notice of a discarded object on the ground.

The bright glint caught my eye, and I kept my vision locked on the item. "Tohru, I need you to protect Mia okay?" I said, returning to the boy.

He looked at me incredulously. "W-what? What about you?"

"Don't worry about me," I said, nodding at him with a smirk. "I'm gonna go cover your sister."

"But Ren-"

"She can't handle that many people on her own. No matter how skilled she is." I said adamantly. "She'll need help. Promise you'll stay with her and not leave this spot." I pointed to the ground under our feet.

Tohru puffed his cheeks in defiance, before noticing the seriousness in my demeanor. He deflated with a sigh.

"Got it, be careful."

I smiled, rising to my feet and ruffling his hair. "Remember, you're her hero. Protect her at all costs okay?"

"Right." He said, putting a protective arm around Mia. The girl whimpered as I set off.

"Please be careful Miss Kirie!"

"I will!" I said, starting away from them as I quickly looked around for the object from before. I could already hear Ren's cries of aggression and resistance.

 _'Where is it? Where-'_

My eyes landed on it, a simple, wooden heater shield, with metal outliners. Ren's words echoed in my mind.

 _"You like shoving yourself in front of danger, dontcha?"_

I cracked a wry grin.

 _'Same could be said about you, couldn't it?'_

I swiftly headed over and scooped up the item, slipping my arm through the double straps and checking its weight. It was pretty balanced, not too light, not too heavy.

Ren's roar returned me to the task at hand, sprinting off towards the crowd. "Yaaaaahhh!" I yelled, garnering the attention of a few cheering dudes in the back.

I bared my teeth and with the shield ahead of me, I threw myself into the group. My small form was barely able to knock over a few unsuspecting players, but I had to pry myself through the bustling males to get to the center.

"Gah!"

I finally burst onto the scene, only for my eyes to deceive my brain for what seemed like the hundredth time today.

There before me, I watched on, as a cyclone of red completely destroyed a male player about twice its size.

It was incredible.

The man swung a haphazard fist, and Ren exploited that weakness, flicking the pathetic swing to the side before her returning fist shot out like a missile, deforming the man's face in cinematic, slow-motion-like vision. The dude staggered back, clutching his face.

"Ah, you bitc-"

He wouldn't finish that sentence, Ren's turning kick sending his lanky form crashing to the ground with such force, the body bounced.

As it settled into the ground, Ren's red irises flared over to me. The girl raised an eyebrow. "Kirie?! Wha-"

"Come'ere girl!" Another middle-aged player screamed. "Give us your items!"

A punch was sent her, way, and she seemed prepared for it, eyes narrowed and stance widened like that of a trained fighter. However, she wouldn't get the chance to react.

Wham!

"Tsk!" I grunted, my right arm flaring with phantom pain. My whole body, shield included, stood in between that fist and my friend. I yelled as I pushed him away with all my strength.

"Back off!"

The crowd of males seemed to quiet down just a bit at the two of us. Ren and I stood side by side, glares spanning the group as a whole.

"Where are Tohru and Mia?"

"Safe. Don't worry."

"Mmm..."

"You two..." A female voice spoke from behind us. I glanced behind me, finally getting a good look at the person we'd thrown ourselves in the line of fire for.

The player, a woman who couldn't be a day over 25, stood protectively in front of the church entrance, two large double doors. The lady's green eyes shook with astonishment behind the rimless lenses of oval glasses.

Her brown hair was somewhat disheveled, the makeshift, braided ponytail being frayed and messy in places. Lining her cheeks were a collection of freckles. Even with her untidy appearance, overall, she was quite the attractive woman. I noticed her clothing, which was oddly close to that of a nun-a long navy blue dress with a white collar.

"What are you two doing? This is dangerous!" She cried out.

"Um, lady?!" Ren grunted, raising her guard once more as she eyed the slowly closing in male players. "Do you _not_ see the guy on the floor? I did that. I _think_ I can handle myself."

"Are you alright?" I quickly asked after Ren's comment, trying to smooth over her words. I'd backed up a step to make sure I had all of the opposers accounted for.

"Y-yes. Ah, but what now? You two can't take on these men all by yourself..."

"She's right, ladies." Said one of the men, a bearded fellow with a crazy glint in his eyes, and saliva drooling from the side of his mouth.

"What's a cute little redhead gonna do against us? Haha! Not to talk of the short blonde. What is that, a shield?"

The man laughed hysterically, as did the rest of his insane posse. I simply glared.

"You're a girl, just put the shield down, let us take those kids' items, and we'll be on our way! No harm no foul."

"No!" The woman retorted defiantly, shaking her head. "I won't let you do that. These children need their items too!"

"Children?"

Ren and I shared a look before we refocused on the slowly closing in individuals.

"You guys are trying to steal items from children?!" I yelled furiously. "How sick are you?!"

Ren growled. "I swear..."

"What?!" The man bemoaned. "It's not like they're over gonna use 'em! Might as well give them over to people who're actually gonna put 'em to use!"

"Are you insane?" Ren lowered her arms, taking a bold step forward. She shoved an accusatory finger at the man. "Do you _really_ think those kids are going to survive on their own without any items? No form of system support? They're _children_! Would you steal a helpless child's food in the real world just for your own survival?"

"This is the real world, Red..." He snarled. "And, yes."

His eyes narrowed, as he reached behind him. hands wrapped around the handle of his weapon. He glared from the forefront of the group.

"I would."

"What'd you call me?" Ren asked in a low tone, glowering at the man with tightened fists.

"Miss..." I trailed off, hinting at the need for a name.

"Sa-Sasha... My name's Sasha."

"Yeah, Sasha, get inside and lock the doors. Now." I said, readjusting the trusty new shield of mine on my arm.

"But you tw-"

"We'll be fine," Ren said, cracking her knuckles. "Just get in there and protect the kids."

I heard nothing for the first two seconds, before the sound her mumbling in concordance with our urges touched upon my ears. She muttered a word of genuine thanks, before leaving us with trembling last words.

" _Please_ be careful you two..."

I heard one of the large doors creak open, before closing moments later, in the meantime keeping the approaching, power-hungry players at bay.

Once I heard that click, I stole a glance at Ren, who eyed me back.

"Enough, you wanna go bitch?!" The man from before took a heavy step forward, drawing his weapon...

"I WILL GET IN THAT DOOR!"

The others roared in unison, unsheathing their weapons. Although it was a safe zone, they didn't seem to take that feature into account.

However, I knew one thing. If they were planning on looting from children unable to protect themselves, there was no way in _hell_ Ren and I were budging, not an inch.

Ren didn't move to reach for her weapon. I don't even think the girl thought about the object at all. Her eyes narrowed to slits, and her stance widened even further. Her arms spread evenly as one clutched into a fist right by her face. the other centerline with her nose.

She took a breath, and I knew she was ready for the long haul. With a breath of my own, I steeled my resolve, watching as the men collectively charged.

"Raghhhh!" I howled, rushing into the converging crowd. Ren was right with me as I whipped my shield arm to the side, whacking at the nearest man's face. I felt a sharp force slam into my gut, and convulsed inwards, coughing out the spit garbled up in my mouth.

I held fast, however, clenching both hands together and flinging my fists upwards. The strike connected with the guy's chin, before I kicked him away, heading over to deal with the next one.

There were at least 15 men ravaging their way towards the door. I growled as I took another hit, using my shield to deflect what felt like a stray sword. I yelled and flung the blade to the side, before whipping my fist across the place the crazed man's face should've been.

I felt the initial tingle from the impact that sent the man's face rocking to the left, before I used both hands, shield included, to knock him to the ground.

I breathed heavily, raising my shield to deal with the others. I'd only managed to disarm one and take down another, and I was already this tired. These were grown men, they had such a weight advantage over me it was ridiculous.

As I managed to guard another haphazard attack, I stole a tired glance at my red-haired partner. What I saw astonished me.

Ren was moving like a whirlwind.

Her fists were so fast I couldn't even register the impacts, and the way her body swiveled to avoid each and every incoming attack, it was something out of an action movie. She dodged a sword swing before grabbing onto the sleeve of the attack's owner, pulling him into a sharp elbow to the face, before downing him with a left cross.

She then spun like a tornado, and the ensuing kick sent the man tumbling to the ground with a pitiful gurgle of words. The air must've been knocked right out of his body. And just like that, the fireball of a redhead was engaged in another one-on-one, ducking under a slice and Superman punching a more slender of the group, before grabbing for his arm like she did the last, throwing herself to the ground and rolling. She sprang up, avoided another attack from a random, whilst tripping the scrawny man and flinging him over her body, he cascaded to the ground, before she stomped him out like a bull, a defiant breath of air succeeding the move.

I was spellbound by this girl's tenacity. So much so, that I forgot that I was in the same predicament. I felt my face being slammed into by a stray fist, grunting as I ducked under the next swing. I stumbled back, as the bearded man from before emerged from the wild crowd, converging upon me.

Not even thinking, I shot myself into a roll, feeling the dust and dirt of the ground floor get into my clothes and hair before I jumped up. The man was right in front of the door, and I knew once he opened it, this was all over.

Barely recognizing my actions, I briefly activated my **Sprint** skill and zoomed the two feet it'd take to cover the distance, sending out a war cry to the heavens as I bashed the edge of my shield into the side of his scraggly face. The unsuspecting player's head rocked with the force as it banged against the left door. I didn't let up, continuing to slam into his head with all the force I could muster.

"Ragh! Ragh! RAGH!"

After my fifth strike, the man crumpled to the ground with a groan, and I took a step back, leaning heavily against the door. I raised my guard, seeing the rest of the group closing in again. Ren was keeping them at bay, seemingly not having lost any energy after her Jason Bourne-like stunts.

However, there were just too many. I didn't know if we'd make it. My breaths were ragged, and my body throbbed with phantom pains. These guys really didn't care if we were girls or not. They saw a target and they just went for it, their morals were completely gone.

It was survival of the fittest now.

However, they weren't the only ones who could play that game. Grounding my teeth, I let out the roar of a protective lioness.

"COME GET SOME!" I screamed as Ren joined in, the two of us regrouped, before charging in again, fists raised and spirit ablaze in the midst of the ungodly testosterone surrounding us.

 _ **Roughly 15-20 minutes later**_

Bodies were strewn across the street, a dozen in total. Still standing between the now group of three and the doors to the church, Ren and I held fast.

We were beaten and bruised. I could tell my right eye had swelled up, and my body pleaded for some form of reprieve. But still, we stood strong. Ren's hair was just as wild as mine, and her glare had become tired and aggravated. She wrung out her wrists, and her stance had slackened significantly.

We were dead tired. However, we weren't going anywhere. A crowd had started to grow in the midst of our little street match, players of every gender and age came to watch the spectacle. Two teenage female players facing off against a dozen plus 20-30 somethings.

It was a sight to behold...

But also to beware. No one helped us. No one even thought about it. They merely watched as we struggled, seemingly helpless in their ways. I was so sick of their bullshit, their lack of drive. We were literally fighting for our lives, and they did nothing but stare on!

What type of humans were these people?!

I took a step forward as the group of three growled and hissed, their various weapons drawn, however, that step was enough to make my legs turn to jello, and I staggered. Luckily, Ren quickly caught me, though she herself fell to her knees.

"Fuck, I'm tired..." She groaned.

We heard laughter from the males ahead as the closed in. "You two have guts, and you can sure as he'll hold your own, I'll give ya that." One of them said, holding a beginners One-handed War Hammer in his left. He felt the object as he headed towards us.

"But we're heading into that church. _Move it_."

"No." I said, garnering up as much gusto as I could. I heard Tohru in the background, screaming from his spot in front of the frightened Mia. He yelled and cried, wanting so bad to leave his spot and come to our rescue.

But I knew _he_ knew he had a job. And that job was to protect Mia at all costs. I let out a sharp breath of air, hearing the muffled sounds of encouragement and cheering from behind me. I held on to Ren for dear life as I turned to see the faces of the little children in the church windows.

"Please miss! We have no one else!"

"Onee-san!"

"You got this! D-Don't give up!"

They urged the two of us on, shouting reassuring phrases and hopeful words. Some were crying, others were trying their best not to. I saw Sasha. She was in tears, holding two little boys under her arms as she shook her head. The bottom half of her frame was partially cut off by the end of the window,.

I smiled at the voices of support, before feeling a gust of wind erupt from beside me. Suddenly Ren's support was gone, and I stumbled to keep myself up.

"Ren?"

I turned to see Ren slumped against the ground in front of the door, groaning from the impact of a hammer skill. She clutched her stomach and I could tell she almost threw up, moaning in would-be pain.

I gasped, before feeling my body being lifted into the air by my shirt collar. I squirmed like a child, yelling at the top of my lungs.

"Let me go! Ungh! Get off!"

"Ha, look at this one!" The hammer guy said, to the remaining of the group. "We need to teach you two some manners. You knocked out our peeps, so we'll just return the favor." He laughed, his hammer igniting a ridiculous pink.

"Then we'll get those kids to cough up everything they have!"

"No!" I cried, my eyes began to water, and my vision blurred. I called out for anyone to help us. I pleaded with the crowd to aid us in some way, for anyone to knock some sense into these men, who wanted to take from _children_ for their own personal gain.

Tears streamed down my face as I heard Tohru's wails for help. I shook my head, about to lose consciousness as the hammer would strike me. I heard the men laughing like hyenas, and waited for the inevitable.

 _'Sasha... children... I am_ so _sorry.'_

I thought, finality in my internal tone, before I let them have me.

This was it. It was over. All this effort, only for us to be conquered by distraught and crazed men, in the middle of an unwilling group of dejected spectators.

 _'Fuck it all...'_ I cursed, one last rebellious thought to whoever above had the ears to listen.

I heard the hammer fly for my face, and waited for my fate...

However, said "destiny" didn't come.

Instead, I heard the sound of suffocation, and a second later, I was dropped from the hand of the hammer wielder, falling to what I thought would be the ground, but was in fact, two supportive arms.

My tear-stained eyes opened to see kind brown irises peering back down. A thick strand of beige hair flowed downwards, and a smile as calm as the eye of a storm pulsated from the expression. I-for some reason-instantly felt safe.

"Do not worry, you're safe now." The man's honey-smooth voice spoke to me.

I took a ragged breath of air, taking one last look at my surroundings. The man with the hammer was currently getting the soul choked out of him by a much larger fellow. A tall black man, with big arms and a shiny bald head.

The two other guys were being held at bay by two other male players.

"We got these three, Saito." He said, and the name ignited a spark of memories. I cranked my head as much as my feeble body would allow, managing to look over my saviour's shoulder.

There, holding Ren close to him, knelt a teenage boy, with curly brown hair. His eyes were focused on the unconscious redhead, and her alone. He used one hand to gently slip some of her frayed ginger hair from her face, caressing the thumb of his other hand along her arm.

"Ren, you idiot..." He uttered lowly.

It took another three calls of his name for the boy to raise his head, showing an anger-filled scowl. He, slipped his other hand under her legs and lifted my friend up in his arms.

Saito looked around at the now slowly dispersing crowd, gritting his teeth. The last words I'd hear were apart of a bitingly cold sentence.

"Where in the _damn_ world do you think you're all going?!" He bellowed.

I fought my subconscious as I felt my body rise in the handsome man's arms, before my heavy eyes finally closed, and the battle of my cognizance had been lost.

I was out.

 **Reiha (Ren) Takagi**

* * *

 _Space._

 _The dark expanse of anonymity lay before me, unending in its length, width, and depth. I felt light as if I was floating, unencumbered from everything, yet apart of everything all the same._

 _Stars lined the sky, and the faint toll of a church bell rang in my ears. Suddenly, my back felt increasingly warm. As I looked around me, light seemed to split itself into rays, beaming from behind me._

 _"Red."_

 _"Where...?" I asked, easily moving my vision to where my ears and body had sensed the presence._

 _Once I laid eyes on the figure, I couldn't pry them away..._

 _The woman was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. Radiant ginger hair flowed in chaotic beauty, adorning the sides of her face. A line of freckles lined her smooth, fair skin, and her gentle scarlet eyes twinkled with kindness. She produced a heavenly smile, and I felt a heavy breath escape my body._

 _The woman neared like a gentle wind, embracing me in her glowing constitution. I felt so warm, so at home. I curled my legs into the rest of my fleeting body, closing my eyes and hearing her wonderful voice, one more time._

 _"I'm here."_

"Mom!" I screamed, jolting awake. I sucked in a sharp breath of air, as reality flung itself back into my face.

"Woah woah!" A female voice shouted from beside me. I felt a hand touch my shoulder, and everything flooded back into memory.

Mia, the church, Sasha, the children, the mob fight, everything. As soon as the appendage made contact with my shoulder, I pounced. In moments, I had my arm barred against the assaulter's throat, my body pressed against theirs as my eyes focused on them and them alone.

Blue irises shook as they stared back at me, and with a glance to the left and right, I'd notice the player's hands were up, and trembling...

"Please... I'm not going to hurt you, okay?"

"Wh-what...?" I stammered, tilting my head as I got a good look at the "enemy". A nice, prominent American nose, blue eyes filled with worry, and rosy lips, quivering with fear.

I quickly let go. "O-Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I thought you were one of them, and I dunno, I just woke up in this place and, oh my god are you alright?" I stumbled over my apology time and time again, helping the girl to her feet as she waved me off.

"I-It's ok. No worries." She laughed hoarsely. "Man you're a tough cookie. Saito wasn't lying."

At the sound of that name, I blinked... five times. "Wait, what...? Y-you know Saito?"

"Yeah," Holi smiled, nursing her throat. "I met him right before he stopped those people from jumping over the edge. The guy's a _real_ charmer."

The last sentence was dripped in sarcasm, before she rebutted herself. "But he can definitely string a sentence."

I sighed, laughing somewhat hysterically.

 _'Oh my god.'_ I thought. _'He stopped them... he actually did it.'_

I revelled in the good news for a beat, before realising my situation, looking around the room I quickly scanned the walls.

"Where-!"

There, lying on a bed angled next to mine, laid my blonde haired friend. Kirie was asleep, snoozing away as she slept off her injuries. Next to her health bar flickered a single status effect, Concussion.

The effect usually afflicted a player who was struck in the head extremely hard. It worked just as it did in real life, except the status was visible. It also came with a series of other debuffs. When Kirie woke up she'd feel Headache, Dizziness, and maybe even Unbalance.

"Don't worry," The girl reassured me. "She'll be fine. I patched you guys up well enough. We just have to wait for the system to do its work. And your little brother is downstairs, with Saito."

I sighed with relief, backtracking until the back of my legs touched the side of my bed. I plopped down against the soft surface, deflating with fatigue.

"What happened... and where am I?" I asked, looking up to the blue-haired woman with a lost expression.

She smiled and righted the seat that was knocked over by the previous fiasco, daintily evening out her black skirt and sitting down.

"Well, firstly, I'm Holi. Nice to meet you." She said with a wry smile.

I smiled back, albeit somewhat warily. "Nice to meet you too. Sorry, again, about... you know."

"Don't worry about it." She laughed. "I didn't expect a gentle awakening, especially after a traumatic experience like that."

I nodded silently, lowering my head.

"Anyways," The medic (I assumed she was considering she tended to us) started, "You're on the second floor of the Misty Hills Tavern. It's near the middle of the city, and the base of our... I guess you could say... coalition?"

"You're not sure?" I raised an eyebrow, flicking my eyes briefly up to health bar. I'd forgotten to check. But it seemed no debuffs were waiting for me. I breathed out calmly.

"Well, this was started by Raiden, a beta tester who-..." Holi stopped and eyed me weirdly.

I raised an eyebrow and asked. "What?"

Both of hers shot up. "Wow, most people jump out their seats with pitchforks and torches at that word."

"What, beta tester? Why? I was one."

Holi gasped. "Really? Oh my god, wow. How lucky are we?" She laughed. "Now we have two people who have knowledge of SAO."

I sat back against the bed. "Uhuh... Um."

"Ah right, right. Sorry." She chuckled awkwardly. "In any news, this little group of ours banded together to stop the players from falling apart and destroying each other."

"Damage control." I summed up, in which she nodded.

"Right. Raiden started this little movement of ours to counteract the impending disasters that would come as a result. He received a lot of bad publicity for it. But because of that brother of his, Agil, and Heathcliff, people started to join in the cause, and we had a few dozen people helping us." She said with a smile.

I nodded in understanding, not really knowing who those people she mentioned were, but I'd gotten the gist of their reason for coming together.

"And Saito?" I asked, raising my head.

"Saito's the reason we have such a big following now." She giggled. Soon she explained to me the events with Royce and the ten volunteers, and how Saito spurred them all into seeing reason. It would've been inspiring if it was anyone else. But I had a feeling he would succeed.

I don't know, there was something about the guy. And it wasn't just his alurring, curly ass head of hair... Scratch that.

Don't tell him I said that.

"So, how did you guys find us?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head. "I mean, I know the Cathedral is pretty popular on the floor, but so is a lot of other places."

"Well, it was that little girl's father." Holi stated, crossing her legs in an elegant fashion as she tapped her chin in thought.

"His name was... Raika, I think. He came bursting into this place pleading for anyone to help him find her, um..."

"Mia." I said, in which she nodded.

"Right, Mia. So we sent teams out to find the guy's daughter while we took the main road. Argo told us of the Cathedral and we headed over there. When we found you though, let me tell you." She sighed, shaking her head.

I raised an eyebrow, and leaned back. "What...?" I asked, using my arms as an anchor.

"When Saito found you and Kirie on the ground, he literally lost it. The guy started yelling at any and everything with a pulse. He verbally berated them for about five minutes straight. He was so angry, so, _so_ angry. He cradled you like a protective bear."

My eyes were wide, and I could feel my cheeks heat up. I felt almost as red as my hair!

"Oh my goodness, w-what? He cr-cradled me? I'm not a child! I mean, he-... Oh my goodness." I pouted hard as Holi hugged herself and swooned.

"It was the most _romantic_ thing I've ever seen anyone do."

"Oh my god!" I yelled covering my face.

The girl laughed, before hearing Kirie stir.

The two of us stopped and watched as she adjusted herself, before heading back to sleep. With a relieved sigh, we were back on the topic at hand.

"Anyways, at the end of the day we'd gained about twenty more people to join our cause. Saito just inspired a boat load of people today."

I groaned and fell back against the bed. "So much happened today..." I said, looking up to the ceiling. I recalled the events of today. Meeting Saito, Kayaba's plan, Tohru getting lost, fighting that overgrown mutt, meeting Kirie, rescuing Mia, fighting off those pedophiles...

Holi stood to her feet. "Come on, you probably want to see everyone." She said to me. I raised my head to see her friendly smile.

"Yeah..." I sighed, raising from my spot and steadily standing to my feet. "Thanks Holi," I said, giving her a smile of my own, tilting my head just the slightest bit.

"For everything."

Holi gasped and blushed, shying away as she waved her right hand my way. "Oh pish posh, don't think anything of it." She laughed.

I nodded and my eyes traveled to Kirie. My smile grew gentler. I really needed to thank her when she woke up. She'd had my back ever since I met her, even when I felt I didn't need it. I laid my hand against hers briefly, before squeezing and letting go.

Soon, with Holi's guidance, I found my way down the stairs and onto the ground floor of the Misty Hills Tavern.

As soon as I reached the floor I scanned the room, quickly locating Tohru and Mia. The two were playing on one of the pub tables. He was showing her all of the skills he'd gotten and reading the descriptions aloud.

The childish wonder in her eyes was enough to make me giggle.

Tohru's head jerked up from his menu and his eyes went wide. He scrambled out of his seat and rushed over to me, with Mia in tow. The kid tackled me with the full force of his body.

"Sis!" He cried, hugging me tight. I laughed and hugged him back.

"Hey bro." I said, running my hand through his black locks.

Tohru sniffled as he raised his head and glared at me through his tear-filled eyes. "Don't you fricking scare me like that ever again! Damn it!"

I squeezed him tight, reassuring him that I wouldn't ever make him worry again. "Trust me, you and me, we're in this together." I said, flashing him a roguish grin.

He grinned back, before making an "o" with his mouth. "Oh yeah! Mia's dad wanted to say thank you."

"Yes, I did." A male voice uttered from behind Tohru. I raised my head and sent a raised eyebrow to the approaching player.

It was a man, looking to be about in his mid-twenties or so. The guy had shaggy black hair, parted neatly to the left, coming down to his chin. His black eyes were kind and welcoming and his smile held a degree of maturity, only shadowed over by kindness.

He was pretty good looking.

The man wore simple civilian clothes, a green long sleeve shirt, and tan pants with the normal brown boots. The man was lean and muscular, though I couldn't see a weapon equipped anywhere on his body.

The man asked if he could have a word with me in private and Tohru agreed, heading back over to Mia who saw me and waved energetically.

"Hi Miss Ren! Hi daddy!"

"Hey pumpkin."

I smiled and waved back, before being led to one of the empty tables and sitting down. When we got situated, the man officially introduced himself.

"My name is Hidemaru Taiga, but in here I'm called Raika." He scratched the back of his head, producing a sheepish smile.

"I don't even remember why I picked such an unorthodox name."

"It's okay," I laughed, reassuring him. "I've seen much worse." I reminded him that there were people that used dummy accounts to log into this game, just to test it out, and as a result, chose some pretty stupid names.

That revelation seemed to ease his mind as his shoulders visibly relaxed, and his posture slackened just a bit.

"Well that's a relief." He chuckled, a sigh soon following, as he tilted his head up, closing his eyes. "You know. This day has been the wildest emotional rollercoaster I've ever been on."

"You're telling me." I said with a weary smile, resting my head against my crossed arms. "I find out this is actually a game of life or death, my brother goes missing, and I fight off a mob of survival-hungry thugs, all in one day. Then there's Saito..."

"Oh, yes. Saito." Raika flashed me a smile. "That boy really cares about you."

For a second, hearing those words made my heart skip a beat... maybe even two. But I shook my head, burying my face into my arms.

"Why does everyone keep telling me that..." I mumbled, probably inaudibly from his standpoint. I heard his light-hearted chuckle and raised my head to pout at him.

He beamed with good-naturedness, and I couldn't stay mad, cracking a smile of my own. Raika nodded and stood to his feet.

"Anyways, I just wanted to thank you for saving my daughter." He said, lowering his head. "I would've searched day and night and probably wouldn't have been able to find her..."

My smile dimmed solemnly. "Well at least you're here for her now, right?" I said, standing to my feet as well, I pushed him playfully with my right hand.

"Just make sure you continue to be from now on, aye?" I grinned, as he raised his head, looking at me sheepishly. I reassured him with confidence beaming from my form.

"You're a good father. Trust me."

Raika's eyes widened, before he bit his lip, lowering his head again, proceeding to bow respectfully. "Thank you so much, Ren." He said, gratefulness pouring out in waves.

I quickly scrambled for an answer, never having been bowed to in such a manner. Usually what followed were fly fists and sweat.

My hands shook back and forth as I encouraged him that it wasn't only me. "Nonono don't mind don't mind! Your daughter's a strong girl! And now I see where she gets that from. I'm just glad I could help." I said, my mind running over my last words.

 _'...glad I could help, huh.'_

A single memory touched my thoughts.

 _"That little girl couldn't be a day older than 7! I'm not just going to sit by and watch as they kill themselves off like that!"_

I closed my eyes, shaking my head as I took a deep breath. "...I'm an idiot sometimes." I sighed, crossing my arms and opening my eyes to stare at the wooden floor of the tavern.

"Excuse me?"

My eyes widened and I swiftly looked up, noticing the black-haired man's quizzical gaze. It was my turn to look sheepish, laughing with subtle embarrassment and trying to cool the tinge of red that bloomed to life across my face.

"Nothing nothing. Just figuring things out is all."

"Ah I see." Raika said, his gentle smile forming once again. "Well, I bet you'd like to get some rest. So I won't keep you too long." He said, saying one last thank you before he departed to be with his daughter.

"Actually." I called out for him. He turned and raised an eyebrow. I gulped down some saliva, tensing up, before resting my nerves...

"Do you know where Saito is?"

The question didn't seem to catch the man by surprise. He only smiled, and gestured to the door that led outside.

"He is outside, speaking with some players. I'm sure he'll be delighted to see you're awake."

My chest soared as I smiled brightly. "Great! Ah, thank you Mr. Raika!" I said, taking one last glance at my brother, who was currently playing with Mia.

"No, thank you." He said, sending me a wave.

We then parted ways as I headed for the door. As my hand reached for the knob of the door, I halted myself, quickly running the scenario through my head. Would Saito be mad at me...? Probably... I did kind of abandon him in a city full of hysterical, survival-hungry players.

I kind of figuratively threw him to the wolves, looked back, and left without another thought.

I took a step back, and brought my hand to my face, covering it in shame. I'd never felt this way before. This feeling of guilt, I'd never had it. Everything I've done up until this point, I knew in my heart, and deep, _deep_ down in my gut, was right.

After Tohru had gone missing, he was my only priority, and I didn't care what anyone else thought of me. Was I selfish for feeling that way? Was I greedy? Or... I don't know... a horrible person? I lowered my hand, eyeing my palms.

They were sweating with nervousness. Why did one stupid boy make me feel like this? All these surges of emotions and feelings...

 _"He cradled you like a protective bear... It was the most romantic thing I've ever seen anyone do."_

My face flushed red as I took two steps back, calming my suddenly quickened heartbeat. I frowned, clutching my chest.

 _'What is wrong with me?!'_

I took a few deep breaths, before shaking off whatever that was. running a lock of red over my left ear, I used my other hand to grasp the knob and turn.

I then pushed outward, the opened door giving way to the cool night air outside. The breeze blew past me and I couldn't help but close my eyes, and enjoy it. My mouth formed a gentle smile and I embraced the outside atmosphere.

"Feels good..." I muttered under my breath, before opening my eyes to take a look.

Three players stood directly before me, gathered in somewhat of a half-circle.

The first I noticed was a boy to the left of me. He had flat brown hair, which came down to his chin. His eyes were also brown, so brown in fact, they looked almost muddy. The guy was pretty well built for someone who looked younger than I was. He was topped with a blue, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of civilian pants and boots. The guy gave off an aura you would see of a chivalric knight back in those stories. He stood tall and strong.

His eyes flashed with surprise at my sudden appearance, before his mouth formed a friendly smi. He cautiously walked up to greet me.

"Hello there." He said with a slow nod, "You must be the one and only Ren."

"Uhh... how?"

"Red hair, toots." Came the voice of the player to the far right. I turned to the sound, raising an eyebrow and railing my gaze over, to fall upon the picture of a female player, auburn, curly hair adorning her head and shaping the sides of her face. The girl's general demeanor completely differentiated from her male friend. Her eyes, somewhat narrowed, focused on her nails. She checked them out as if she'd just gotten them done, before raising her gaze to meet me. She was leaning against the railing of the small staircase, one foot propped up behind the other.

Her arms were crossed, and in her other hand, dangled a single dagger. The girl smirked.

"You caused quite the uproar. Roxy Red and The Girl Wonder, the two girls who defended a church full of helpless children, from a group of grown, unruly men. Heroes, is what they're calling you two."

"Indeed." the boy to the left chimed in, holding out his hand towards me. "My name's Raiden." He said, smile widening ever so softly.

"It's very nice to finally meet you, Miss."

I nodded awkwardly, still trying to process all of this, smiling as best I could and shaking his hand. "The miss isn't necessary. But um... yeah, you're welcome." I said, my vision leaving Raiden's features, and taking in the nightly atmosphere of Aincrad, before another face floated into view.

This one was smiling at me, curly brown hair tickling the edges of his eyebrows. He had a playful smile touching the edge of his lips, and his eyes twinkled with an undertone of eagerness, held back by a lazy gaze.

I blinked slowly, as I took in the whole picture.

There, before me, Saito stood, hands in his pockets, and a slouch in his posture. He seemed to be the balance between Raiden and the other girl, a medium of both personalities, melded together perfectly in one, perfect picture.

"Yo, Red." He laughed, pushing off his foremost foot as he climbed the stairs to meet me.

A collection of emotions swelled up in my chest, as he approached, every step reducing the amount of time my brain could form a proper response, a proper apology...

Though, apparently, I didn't need one, for as he reached the final step - Raiden backing away to give us both ample space - he reached for my hand, gripping it tightly.

"You are really, _really_ amazing. But don't _ever_ do something that stupid, _ever_ again." He said, his previously calm expression now holding a sense of exasperation and worry. Those brown irises shook as he ran his thumb over my hand. The sensation sent sparks jolting throughout my body, and I felt myself shiver.

"Wh-" I started, about to ask him.

Why did he care so much...? Especially for someone who did something so horrible as to ditch him in a city full of crazy people? I searched his eyes for something, anything that would prove that what he said was just that, words, nothing more. I sifted through those big brown eyes for something that would prove he was just saying that, that he held some grudge against me... because, which sane person wouldn't?

I know I would... but he didn't. He just... he just looked so worried...

About _me_.

I felt my throat dry up, and my already raspy voice came out even more hoarse than before. "Okay." I muttered, lowering my head to let my hair cover my eyes.

"Promise."

It was only a moment later, before I heard a snort, raising my head to see his roguish grin.

"Thanks." He said. His eyes gazed at me, those brown irises seemed to dole over me, as if mesmerized by something. My face heated up again and I willed my heart to stop beating so damn fast.

Suddenly I had the sudden urge to just... slap him.

So I did.

 _FWHACK!_

The impact generated a sharp noise, and Saito's head jerked to the left. He instinctively clutched his face as I heard Raiden take a step forward.

"Woah there."

"Owww." Saito whined, giving me a pout of his own, "What was that for?"

I crossed my arms and frowned, harrumphing as I turned my head. "You really need to stop messing with me!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh shut up!"

"-Wha- Gah, you're so insufferable ya know that?"

"Excuse me?!"

"A-ah? I mean, eheheh, by-by... insufferable I mean... t-to your enemies! They cower in your very presence, and lay down their weapons under your mighty gaze!"

"W-what?"

"Nice save, Sai-bou..."

" _Hehe_ , thanks Arg-"

 _SMACK!_

"Owww!"

30 Minutes Later

Turns out Raiden had to leave.

He said he had to go meet his brother in Horunka, the next village over, but would try and see if he could come to aid us tomorrow. Saito, Argo, and I saw him off, managing to make a safe path towards the end of the city.

I noticed he carried a buckler shield, not the most common shield I've seen around, even in the beta, but he seemed to be comfortable in his choice.

With a last goodbye, Raiden started for Horunka.

The three of us stood in silence as he watched him go. I stood by Saito, eyes focused on that shield as it moved back and forth against the guy's retreating back. I crossed my arms, feeling the various tingles plague my body with every movement. I was still a bit sore from earlier today.

Saito noticed and turned to check on me, though I shook my head with a smile. "It's okay, I'm fine." I said, reassuring him.

He gave me a childish pout, before nodding and returning to watch Raiden leave. As soon as he was out of eyesight, the three of us turned away and headed back for Misty Hills.

The walk was quiet, though, to my surprise, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, nothing embarrassing or held at the tongue. I felt relaxed, and... just, alright. We both knew, and that was it. I couldn't explain the feeling then, and I can't even explain it now, heh.

But, we were okay, and that's what mattered.

Then Argo spoke up.

"So, Roxy-chan," She started, leaning forward as we walked and flashing me a teasing smirk. "What do you plan to do now? You're pretty famous around here, especially among the lot of us who've come together to do this... You kinda just jumped in and beat up 12 crooks, saved a church, and... you know..."

"What?" I asked, raising my eyebrow with a smirk of my own.

"You have red hair, _duh_. Like, it looks so natural too! I don't know how you pull it off so well?"

I laughed, and ran a stray lock of ginger over my ear, shrugging my shoulders. "Ask my mom." I said, twisting one of the wavy locks between my fingers.

I focused on the road, as I re-focused on Argo's question. What should I do? I wanted to find Saito, apologize, and convince him to come with us to Horunka... but with everything that'd happened these last few hours... I wasn't even sure if I even wanted to go to Horunka anymore.

I looked up to Saito as we walked, wanting his opinion. He sauntered on silently, in between the two of us, hands in his pockets and eyes leisurely focused on the road ahead.

He must've felt my stare, for her raised an eyebrow, looking down to see me staring up. We locked eyes, and yet again, I searched. There had to be something... some hint of anger in those eyes of his... something.

All I saw was requiescence.

The boy grinned and shrugged. "I dunno." He said, nudging my with his shoulder. "I think you should stay- no. Let me rephrase." He said, coming to a stop.

Argo and I followed suit, eyeing him weirdly.

"Whatchu mean, Sai-bou?" The girl asked crossing her arms.

I did the same, puckering out my bottom lip as I rested on my left leg. I let him continue.

"What I mean is," Saito sighed, reaching behind him to ruffle his curly hair. "I think you should do what you want to do. What your gut is telling you to do." He said, looking up to me.

"Just like earlier today. You went with your gut instincts, and because of that, you found Tohru."

"Yeah, but I also ditched you in a city filled to the brim with chaos to do so."

"And?"

"What do you mean "and" Saito?" I guffawed, spreading my arms wide. "I abandoned you, how can you not be angry about that?"

"Ren..." Saito groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He then raised his head to the sky, looking up at the expanse above.

"Look where we are, _right_ now." He said, lowering his head.

Our eyes met once again, and he smiled.

"If your gut was wrong, you wouldn't be here right now, with your brother safe and sound, and with me standing in front of you. Ren, I want you to always do what you think is right. You don't have to worry about me." He smirked.

"I'm a big boy, I can handle myself."

"Pfft, hardly." Argo scoffed, only to be frowned into silence by the brown-haired boy. He sighed and returned to me, his gentle smile flowing into being once more.

"I will never, ever, hold it against you, if you do what you think is right. Even if it's wrong," He said, nearing me. He pointed towards his stomach.

"If in here, you know that what you're doing is the right thing, then you _know_ you're on the right track. And I will _always_ support that."

His smirk widened to a full-face grin, and I couldn't help the tears welling up at the edges of my eyes. I quickly wiped them away, and sniffled a bit, trying to get my bearing.

"Okay... okay, well then... what if my gut's telling me that I should stay?" I asked, raising my head and eyeing him once again.

I saw his eyes twinkle like they were dancing on the stars, he bit his lip, suppressing what I knew would be one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen in my life.

He simply nodded, covering his mouth. "I-... I would say listen to your gut then..." He said, hiding his smile behind the cover of his hands.

"Definitely."

I smiled and then laughed. With a single nod, I felt invigorated, and I walked forward, outstretching my hand towards his, before closing it into a fist.

"Then let's help Aincrad get its shit together." I said with a grin of my own.

Saito eyed the fist, before a moment later taking two steps forward and bumping it with his own.

"Damn straight." He agreed with a laugh.

A pair of gloved fists placed themselves atop ours and we both looked to see Argo, her tongue out the side of her mouth playfully.

"Don't forget about me you two, _jeez_." She said.

We looked at each other, before snorting, and finally dissolving into kind-hearted laughter.

"Never in our lives, Argo."

"Not in a million years."

 **Dust Devil's Lodgings and Co.**

* * *

"Those girls really packed a punch..."

"Yeah, my jaw hurts man..."

"Offt, your jaw? That blonde bitch fucked up my head!"

Three men sat themselves in a corner booth within a desolated, dilapidated tavern. They all nursed the various wounds they'd received, cursing and bad-mouthing the two females who'd beaten and embarrassed them.

One slammed his fist against the table, growling ferally. "What I wouldn't do to show those skanks who the fuck they messed with."

"Hell yeah!" Another chimed in, nodding eagerly. "Who the hell do they think they are?! Knocking us around like that?!"

"And that Black guy? What is he American? Pfft, fuck them! Why are they always in our business?! Stay in your own country!"

"You're just mad because you got your ass choked the hell out, Brikx."

"Yeah yeah," The man said, rolling his eyes as he reached for his drink, an auburn liquid, poured into a short, wide glass. He picked it up and downed the drink in one go, before slamming the glass against the wooden surface of the booth table.

"Yo! Maid girl! Another!" He waved lazily towards one of the NPC maids. One of them hurriedly came to the man's aid.

"Yes sir. We'll have another glass for you shortly." She said automatically, before turning and heading towards the back.

"You better!" He grinned drunkenly, reaching back to slap her backside, only to be stopped by a gruff hand.

"Wha-?" The messily-bearded player gasped, trying to relieve himself from the grip. "What the hell? Who-?"

"I've heard about enough." A calm, deep voice echoed out from the booth behind the group. The hand tightened around his wrist.

"You're going to stop degrading these young women, and you're going to stop now." The voice said, his tone darkening at the last word.

"Who the fuck?" The one across from his friend said, getting up out of his seat. "Yo, get the fuck off my friend you fucking dick." He exclaimed, shoving a finger at the accused.

There, sitting with their thick arm outstretched, hand locked against his friend's wrist, sat a fully-grown man. His beard was neatly cut and adorned his face quite well, atop his head rested flat coffee-colored hair. His black eyes were focused on the menu in his other hand.

The man slowly railed his gaze towards the feeble-looking player, eyes narrowing just a bit.

He let go.

The man, ostensibly named Brikx, groaned as he checked his hand. "What the fuck dude?! Come on, Airo, Dreg," he said, quickly standing to his feet, he turned and regrouped with his friend that stood, wringing his wrist out.

'Yo, old man. We're gonna kick your ass!"

"Fuck yeah, get up!" The last of the three arrived, slamming his right fist into his left palm. "Get the fuck up!"

The man switched his gaze between the three upstarts, before letting out a heavy sigh. He closed his menu and politely set it down, before slipping out of his booth.

Brikx, Airo, and Dreg took a few wavering steps back as the man stood to his full height, easily towering over them.

" If you're so adamant about this, let's tak-"

 _Womph!_

The man's head whipped to the right, impacted by Brikx's sharp right hook. The man grinned like mad.

"Shut up, old fart." He laughed.

Dreg and Airo joined in his mirth, giggling like school children behind their unspoken leader.

However, their snickers would soon cease, as the man raised steadily returned his gaze upon them. His eyes held a murderous glint, and a deathly shadow covered his face. The veins in his arms bulged, and he let out a cool breath.

"Hmm." He hummed, closing his eyes. He rolled his head, the satisfying pops of stress relieving themselves from his body.

"D-dude-" Dreg said, hurriedly tapping his friend's arm. "You probably shouldn't have..."

"Holy crap..."

The man took a heavy step forward and his eyes shot open.

" _My turn then_."

 _ **2 minutes later**_

The door of the out-of-the-way pub opened up to reveal three other players. One was noticeably taller than the rest, with clean-cut black hair and whimsical black eyes that bounced from object to object. His smile seemed to freeze itself in time as his nose twitched at what lay before him.

Next to him was another black-haired individual, the shortest of the group. Her hair was straight and long, coming down to her shoulders. Her piercing red eyes took in the appearance of the tavern as she stayed quiet, parting her rosy red lips just a bit. Her neat, black eyebrows rose up slightly.

The last was shorter than his male companion, but a few inches taller than the female. His beady, brown eyes looked around the pub, before he focused on the man, standing centerfold, in the middle of thrown chairs, toppled tables, knocked over menus and glass cups.

The tallest of the group identified three other players. One was slumped over the dive bar, groaning sickly, another was sprawled out against an overturned table, clutching his gut as he fought for every breath that escaped his lips.

The last was completely unconscious, lying flat on his back, his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"My god." The other male said, stepping over a chair as he looked towards the NPCs, they didn't seem that fazed, nor would they be. They _were_ NPCs, AI. They didn't really respond to human emotions. He decided to halt in his track when the man in the middle of the carnage gifted him with a deathly glare.

"Shh, Royce." The taller man said, resting two hands on each of his compatriots' shoulders. "Shh now."

"Mister, Grimoire." The girl said, watching as he began to head towards the tower of a man. She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Wait."

Grimoire stopped, and turned his head, giving her a relaxing smile. "S'okay Hyper-chan. Trust me." He said, sticking out his tongue.

She pouted, and hesitated a bit, before letting go, muttering a "be careful" as she watched him saunter up casually towards the man.

Royce looked to the girl, then to Grimoire, deciding to stay quiet and watch.

Grimoire finally arrived, standing two feet away from the silent man. He looked up at him, tilting his head just a bit.

The man let out a hot breath and raised his head revealing his black-eyed glare. "What?" He asked curtly, balling his fists once more.

The black-haired man, noticeably shorter than the aggressor, simply crossed his arms, his pupils contracting as his eyes narrowed lowly. A devilish smile played on his lips, and his slitted black eyes took in the man's appearance, and for some reason, the atmosphere around him took a heavier tone.

"I'd like to know your name." He said.

The man raised an eyebrow, feeling goosebumps travel up and down his skin. He crossed his own arms and grunted.

"Pargod." He said, eyes glazing over as he looked at Grimoire with feeble curiosity. "What do you want?"

Grimoire's smile dimmed, and his eyes glinted with intrigue.

"I want you."

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ASCII Media Works and Yen Press. We own only our characters and concepts.)


	6. Proud Mouths

_**Proud Mouths**_

 **November 7, 2022**

 **1:35 PM**

 **Floor 1**

 **Town of Beginnings (Misty Hills Tavern)**

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

"Mmm... nyaghaaaa... Mmmrgrmmm..."

I snored like a hibernating bear, dead tired from the events that conspired the day prior. Finding out you were trapped for possibly the rest of your life, in a game that consisted of monstrous wolves the size of this very tavern, rioting and unstable players, soul-crushing depression, and that _ever_ amicably added impending threat of death _really_ tuckered you out, as surprising as that may be

To be completely honest, this was the first time since two inglorious days ago that'd I'd actually gotten a good amount of sleep, and _boy_ did I enjoy it. I dreamt of so many variations of chips, it wa _s literally_ unnecessary. To any passersby, my incessant subconscious mutters about different brands of flavored toothsomeness would render them confuzzled. Yes, that's a word. Well, a combined word.

Leave me alone.

I didn't mind the stares, either way, nothing I-being unconscious and all-could do anything about. I was having the time of my life, in my own little dream world, where stuff like cheeseburger-flavored chips were actually reality and not some fictional form of taste-pleasuring goodness I'd conjured up in my latentdream statee.

To bad for _me_ , it _was_ fictional. Even more unfortunate, that thousand-flavored wonder bag of abounding delectability would be stripped away from me by something _so_ foul, so malicious, that not even the rainbow of relishing delight that awaited me in that bag of dreams-come-true would be able to stop me from doing the thing I swore to myself I would _never_ do.

The one thing I knew would end all potato chip-worshiping attainment that ever produced life into my brain. It came again, and again, and again... like annoying little dolphin cries.

Just _EEE EEE EEE-ing_ their way into my feeble mind!

I couldn't take it anymore, after the fourth or so instance, I did it...

I opened my eyes.

Reality crashed into me like a torrential tsunami. I squinted as my pupils adjusted to the light, shining in from the window to the my left. I dragged my tired gaze over to the owner of such demented cetacean clamoring.

" _What?_ " I sang, as I rested my head against the palm of my anchored right hand. The appendage squished my cheek as I laid eyes on blonde hair. My eyelids closed proximity again.

"Saito? You're Saito, right?"

" _Mhm_ " I hummed in key, as a face encompassed my vision. Red-orange eyes peered at me with subtle curiosity while I took in the full picture. Standing before me, topped in nothing but a baggy, white, short-sleeved shirt and what I hoped to the Lord above were really short shorts, was Kirie, Ren's friend from yesterday.

I couldn't help the blush from coating my cheeks, yet I yawned it away, leaning my head back against my chair and stretching out my body as far as I thought physically possible.

"Welp, you're up." I concluded, lowering my head with a tired smile. "Welcome back to the world of the living, blondie."

Kirie giggled and nodded, taking a step back as she eyed me over. "Thanks." She said, looking around the lax pub.

"So, where-?"

"Ah, yeah." I laughed, taking in a breath as I dared to stand up. "Osu."

I waddled around to get my balance, before shaking out my mess of hair, running a stray hand through it.

"This is the Misty Hills, a pub near the center of town. We took you here after you passed out yesterday."

Kirie blinked once, then twice. If I let her eyes shut and open a third time, I knew she'd fly through the roof.

"You're safe. Ren's safe. Tohru and Mia are safe, and the children are safe." I said in quick succession, holding out my hands as a sort of buffer while I quickly reassured her.

With my back-to-back phrases, Kirie visibly calmed, deflating back against one of the nearby chairs. She ran a lock of blonde hair over her ear and took a heavy sigh.

"Thank _god_."

I smiled and rubbed my eyes, silently thanking the heavens that she didn't flip out. I had it easy. Poor Holi.

"Right. Well, Ren should be back soon." I said, dropping my hands and stuffing them into my pockets. "She went out with Agil today. He's showing her the ropes... if you could say that." I tilted my head up in thought.

"Okay." Kirie said simply, rubbing her face. She looked around the pub aimlessly, finally giving me some time to look at her, and guys, there was one thing I could say for sure.

She was attractive.

There wasn't a blemish like _anywhere_. Her skin was smoother than any baby's butt I'd ever seen... and I'd only seen one... Maiko's... when mom was bathing her...on accident. I needed to pee!

It was horrifying.

Kirie's skin was flawless. No necklines, no wrinkles, nothing. When she turned her head, I noticed her well-structured facial features.

Her lips were a natural faded pink in color, and her eyes gazed at everything with calm and mature inspection.

Her nose was celestial in shape and complimented the rest of her face well. Kirie's eyebrows were neatly sculpted and adorned her face, creating a beautiful picture.

I-being a heterosexual male-will not lie. I stared a tad longer than I needed to, and she caught me, turning her head with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, your mouth's open." She said matter-of-factly, a subtly intrigued smirk slipping onto her features.

I raised both eyebrows and closed my mouth immediately, blinking rapidly before replying. "Sorry. Cute girl wakes up in nothing but a baggy white shirt, what am I supposed to do?"

I gave a smirk of my own as Kirie's face lit up red. She swiftly looked down, shuffling her legs, as if she'd forgotten, before she puffed her cheeks.

"I'm wearing shorts, jeez! Perv!"

I guffawed. " _Wow!_ How am I a-"

Click.

The door to the main street opened and in walked Ren and Agil. The two were dressed in the armor they'd had on the first day. The redhead turned to look at me.

Ren had equipped her same beginner gear, a simple long-sleeved black shirt, which fit underneath her brown leather chest piece. She wore her green cargo pants, paired with the normal civilian boots.

Hanging from it's holster around her waist, the girl's jewel-encrusted beginners blade was sheathed.

Now, here's the kicker.

Ren's hair was done up in this messy ponytail, a big fluffle of red, propped up atop her head in the cutest way. I could see the nape of her neck-smooth-and more of her face. I noticed the small line of freckles that trickled along her nose and cheeks, and those immersive hazel eyes had me swimming in their gaze. For that single moment, Ren was the most beautiful person in the room.

Then she scrunched up her face... and the dream was over.

"What?"

I snorted. "Pineapple."

"Eh?"

"Nothing!"

Ren sighed, running one of the loose strands of hair over her right ear, taking a quick glance around the room. Her eyes then landed on Kirie, and I noticed. I let out a quiet sigh.

"Crap..."

"REN!"

"KIRIE! OH MY GOD!"

I covered my ears as they squealed, running to meet each other, and then _squeal_ some more. I smiled nonetheless, watching as Agil walked in behind her and closed the door with an awkward smile.

He waved at me and sauntered over. I nodded as he neared and watched him laugh at me.

"Can't handle the females huh?" He asked, taking a seat in the nearest chair. I only shrugged in response, collapsing against the table with a tired snicker.

"I'm just gonna poke the bear if I answer that." I replied.

The man laughed again. "Good answer."

In a few minutes, the girls had calmed down, and taken a seat. Ren and I collectively told Kirie what'd happened after they'd passed out, and five minutes later, she had the whole story. The blonde criss-crossed her legs in her chair and eyed the table in thought.

"So Tohru, and Mia..."

"Like Saito said, they're fine. They're okay. Tohru's resting upstairs, and Mia's sleeping in Mr. Raika's room."

"Mister?" I asked, musing over the honorific with a bored gaze towards the pub's north wall.

"Wonder why you don't call-"

I turned my head to see Ren staring at me icily, her eyes taking on a stormy grey color.

"Call ya what, Sai- _bou_?"

We shared a look, before I nodded quickly and looked away.

"Nevermind then."

"Smart choice."

Kirie sighed and laid her head in her arms atop the table. "Wow... so much happened yesterday."

"Yeah." Agil chimed in, crossing his own burly arms. "It was a tough day... Still can't believe it."

"Neither can I." Ren said with a light stretch, rubbing her face. "It all feels so nostalgic. Like I'll wake up one day in my room, in mybed... and this would all have been a dream."

"But that's not the truth." Kirie cut in, eyeing the table closely with her lowered head. "We're stuck in here... with nowhere to go."

" _Well_ " I chirped, wiggling my eyebrows. "We do have _one_ way."

I gestured upwards with my pointer finger. "Kayaba didn't just lock us in here. The guy gave us an out."

"An extreme, crazy, and stupidly difficult out." Ren huffed in defiance, shaking her head.

I nodded. "But an out nonetheless. We need to clear these 100 floors, and after we do that, we're out of here."

"That's impossible though." Kirie laughed bitterly, shaking her head in her arms. "Fricking impossible..."

Agil didn't say anything, but I knew he was sort of thinking the same thing. Ren closed her eyes and thought about it.

"...It only took us a few months to reach the 10th Floor." She mumbled, looking away and trying her best to sound offhanded.

I flashed a winning smile. "Only a few months? That's 10 out 100 done and done. Only 90 left. And, we have more players now."

Kirie raised a steady eyebrow. "You aren't always this optimistic, are you?"

My smile persisted. "Only on Mondays."

"Said no one, ever." Ren jested.

The four of us at the table shared a laugh in the tiny pub. Unknowing of the growing danger outside its walls. Though, who could blame us? After what we'd been through, we deserved something of a break.

The door suddenly swung open, Argo bursting into the tavern. "Guys! We have a problem!" She said frantically. The group of us exchanged glances, before we collectively stood and followed her out of Misty Hills.

When I reached the steps, my pupils shrunk. "What the-"

Two players were duking it out in the middle of the street, throwing each other around in a messy display of anger. A crowd had gathered around them. Some yelling at them to stop, others instigating them.

"Hey, stop it! Agil! Ren!" I shouted, hopping down the steps and running towards the two. Agil and Ren flew into the fray, pushing passed the crowd with me and quickly ripping away the two players from each other.

"Hey, calm down dude!"

"Cool it!"

Ren yelled and I the ear of one, as Agil silently restrained the other, pulling him away.

"Everyone calm down! Jesus!" I said loudly, addressing the two players. "What in the world's going on?!"

Argo pushed through the crowd and made her way to the center. I gave her a look and she knew what it meant. Turning on her heel, she cupped her hands around the sides of her mouth and shouted.

"Nothing to see here folks! Move along! Go on! Go!"

Soon Heathcliff and Holi had arrived, the two having just come from the west end of the city, trying to see if they could set up a base around there.

"What happened?" Holi asked, rushing up to the scene, Heathcliff following quietly behind.

"He happened!" One of the fighters sighed, growling as he wrestled in Agil's grip. "The dude's crazy. He just out right attacked me!"

"Bullshit!" The one in Ren's hold roared. "You talked about my fricking sister! Saying she was basically dead! How dare you?! I have half a mind to-"

"Alright!" I interjected, holding out my hands to stop the back and forth argument. "We get it!"

I looked around. It seems, with Heathcliff's help, Argo had calmed the crowd down and moved them away from the fight.

I took a deep breath, rubbing my face.

The night before, Raiden had given over the position of leadership to me.

 _"You've got a good team here. Keep doing what you're doing. And don't worry. I'll be back here and there to help you out."_

A bead of sweat dropped down the side of my face, followed by a slightly annoyed look. He kinda just dropped this bomb on my lap and said "Deuces!"

Said bomb was ticking, fast, and I honestly didn't know if I could defuse it in time. Right now the players were an active powder keg, a pot about to boil over, and the only thing holding them together were two things, their barely clinging sanity, and the glimpse of hope our group had given them.

We had to keep that alive. At the same time, though, we had to make sure that there weren't too many fires to put out. We couldn't just focus on one thing, then run to another, then another. Which was why we decided to establish bases throughout the city.

We'd delegate trusted and stable players, players that the majority of others had seen in action, earning such a position, and station them at different sections of the city to help those who needed it.

Kirie was currently trying to figure out what was going on, standing at the edge of the steps to Misty Hills.

"Alright, we're gonna let you go now." I said, exchanging looks with Ren and Agil. "Try not to bust each other up, please."

The two players let their respective attackers go, and the two boys managed to keep their anger in check.

I gave them another minute to process, before noticing they were cooled off and ready to talk. Turning I waved for them.

"Come on, let's talk about this inside."

Needless to say, everyone agreed with that course of action.

 **5 minutes later**

"Okay, so what's going on?" Ren asked, placing her hands on the end of one of the long tables within the pub.

Sitting on either end, the two boys sat.

One, with unruly black hair and piercing blue eyes, stared daggers at the other. His skin was fair, nose of Greek orientation, and thin, pale lips which parted to show a whitened growl. His black eyebrows were furrowed to further to portray his anger. He adorned a long red-sleeved shirt, similar to Holi's, under a leather vest, with the normal brown pants and boots. His fingers drummed furiously on the table.

Behind him, Agil stood, arms crossed and an exasperated look on his face.

"He needs to watch his damn mouth!" The guy yelled, about to lunge once more. If it wasn't for Agil's hand on his shoulder, he definitely would've swung.

The other boy, a tall lanky figure, towered over his accuser. His black eyes held a calm, detached glint behind square, black glasses. He tilted his head, his shaggy, yet equally black hair, falling down the sides of his face.

"What, pray tell, did I say or do that was rude? I simply spoke my opinion."

"Well keep it to yourself, bub." The man growled.

"Alright, alright," Holi interjected with a sigh. She neared the table and put on her best smile. "Instead of throwing jabs at each other, why don't we calm down and get this sorted out."

"There's nothing to sort out. He-"

"Hey!" Ren ordered, sending the loudmouth an even glare. "Let her talk."

Tamashi saw the look in the redhead's eyes and rolled his own, leaning back in his chair with a disgruntled harrumph.

"Okay." Holi laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Let's start with names. What's yours?" She asked pointedly at the blue-eyed boy.

He raised his head and looked to Holi, then to everyone else, including me. I raised an eyebrow, a small smile tickling at the edges of my mouth.

The boy sighed and crossed his arms. "Tamashi. I'm Tamashi."

Holi's smile widened and she nodded, turning to the other player. "And yours?"

The boy did the same as Tamashi, taking in everything he saw under an observant eye, before speaking.

"My name's Jyun." He said, returning to eye Tamashi silently.

Holi's smiled dimmed. "Alright then. Now that we're acquainted. We're going to let one person talk at a time. So we're not jumping at each other's throats. Okay?"

She asked looking between the two. Tamashi glared at Jyun, who stared apathetically back. However, they were able to come to a compromise. Both nodding their heads.

"Alright, if you don't mind, Jyun." She said, gesturing to Tamashi. "I'll let Tamashi start."

Jyun shook his head. "I have no qualms."

I narrowed my eyes and began to listen.

Tamashi grunted and raised in his seat. "Alright. So I was out on the street, trying to find help rescuing my little sister. Then out of the blue, this guy walks up to me, taps me on the shoulder. Of course, I thin-"

"Wait, wait. Hold up." Kirie interrupted with a hand. The blonde raised an eyebrow as she approached the table.

"What's this about a kidnapped sister?"

Holi nodded. "I was just about to say... Who kidnapped her?" She asked earnestly, which partially surprised the player.

"I-I don't know. These guys came out of the thicket of the crowd and snatched her up when I wasn't looking. When I heard the scuffle, I turned, only to get sucker punched." I rubbed his head, and I could feel the embarrassment emanating from him, yet decided to keep an open mind as he continued.

"One knee to the gut and I was down, being kicked around and stomped on like an insect." He slammed his fist on the table, and the majority of us jumped. The force of the strike was so hard, the Immortal Object hexagon bloomed to life to remind him of the table's status.

"You were careless." Jyun said, seemingly unaffected by the display of strength and anger.

Tamashi immediately shot up from his seat, reaching to grab for his collar "Why don't you shut the-!"

Agil swooped in and held him back as he writhed in his grip. I rolled my eyes and rubbed them. This was becoming a headache. One of those long-standing ones that just wouldn't go away.

Soon though, Tamashi would settle down. I soon spoke up, leaning off the wall and making my way towards the table, where I joined Tamashi, Jyun, and the girls.

"Okay, well let's get everything out on the table."

The two sitting players looked at me, and I looked back. "Firstly, Tamashi, with everything being put in perspective. You _were_ a bit careless."

"Excuse-!"

"Let me finish!" I said in a raised voice, staring him down. "You have to calm down and analyze the situation. Think back. Reflect. She's your sister. In a situation like this, you're supposed to keep her close, be watchful over her. Make sure she doesn't stray too far away." I shook my head.

"You didn't, and because of that she got taken."

"Saito." Ren spoke up, eyeing me carefully. I looked at her, and then returned to Tamashi. He had lowered his head, and I could hear that he was trying not to cry.

"I know... I know." He croaked in a broken voice, sniffling after every word. My heartfelt for this guy. He'd just lost his sister and here I was, verbally berating him along with Slender Man's Japanese counterpart.

But I had to stay neutral.

Jyun nodded once, in firm agreement with my words. "I told you."

"Don't get cocky." My eyes traveled over to him. "You're in the wrong too."

Jyun looked up with a raised eyebrow.

"How so?" He asked, fixing the positioning of his glasses. My eyes glazed over as I answered his question.

"Because instead of finding a solution to the problem. You only succeeded in adding to it."

Jyun scoffed emotionlessly and looked forward again. "It's not my business to go out of my way to help someone who brought misfortune upon themselves."

"It's not your business to go out of your way to do the exact opposite either."

Jyun raised his head and stared at me. I did the same. We were quiet for a good few seconds, and I could tell he was trying to find a fitting come back to my rebuttal.

In the end, however, he conceded with a sigh.

"Alright."

Pushing out his chair, Jyun stood to his full height-about the same size as Agil-and bowed.

"Tamashi, I humbly apologize. I now see this is partly my fault. Sometimes I speak without thinking, and gets me into trouble."

Tamashi watched Jyun with reddened eyes. I could tell he was still on edge, but something in him reigned itself in. He nodded silently, and we all took that as a form of acceptance.

Just like that, the matter was over with.

"Alright," Kirie said, waving her hand in front of her face. "Now that that's over, let's talk about the real problem."

"His sister," Argo said from the back. The young girl snuck her way through. She sprouted her head between Heathcliff and Ren.

"First things first, did you add her as a friend?"

"Well duh, I'm not an idiot." Tamashi sniffed, rubbing his eyes and opening his menu.

Ren winced and I quickly looked over to check. She seemed to keep her calm, closing her eyes as to recollect her emotions before focusing again.

Tamashi made his menu visible and spun it around so we could all see. The group of us leaned in, watching the red dot blinking in the upper right corner of the holographic map.

"She's in that forest that heads to Horunka?" Agil asked.

"Looks like it." Argo said, rubbing her chin. "But that begs the question, why didn't they just go all the way? Horunka is fairly unpopulated right now. Most people are crammed into the Starting City."

"Maybe because someone would spot them and try to do something," Ren said. "Only experienced players or at least those with good heads on their shoulders would be able to make it all the way to Horunka. If they see something wrong, they'll most likely spring into action, unlike people here."

Heathcliff nodded. "I believe our Ren is right. Only those who were stable and smart enough would've immediately made it to the second settlement in one piece."

"How dangerous is this road to Horunka?" I asked, leaning back and crossing my arms.

"For a beginner? Super dangerous." Argo shrugged her shoulders. "There's also rumor that the first field boss to ever come in contact with players roams that forest."

"The Alpha, right?" Kirie asked, raising her head. Argo's left eyebrow raised as she turned to face the blonde.

"Yeah... How'd you know that?"

"Oh." Kirie smiled and pointed to Ren. "She kinda soloed it."

The room went quiet.

Ren raised her head and looked around. She slipped her hands into her pockets and asked, raising her own eyebrow.

"What?"

"You seriously went one on one with the Alpha...?" Argo asked, dumbfounded. My mouth hung open.

"Jesus, Red."

Heathcliff laughed. "She's a powerful lass isn't she?"

"You're tellin me." Agil chimed in.

Holi smiled with admiration. "Saito wasn't kidding. You really are strong."

"W-what? Wait," Ren pointed crudely at me, flustered. "You told them about me?"

"Well, duh. It's not every day you see a girl pu-"

" _Mmmm!_ " Ren quickly hummed.

"Oh give it a rest, we all know you know kung fu." Argo laughed, before immediately shifting personalities. Soon she was fighting the air, yelling "Hya!" after every punch and kick.

Ren groaned. "It's not kung fu, Argo." She said exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Really didn't want that to get out."

 _'But you use it all the time.'_ I thought, tilting my head.

I remembered asking her yesterday where she learned all that stuff. She evaded the question and tried to belittle it.

I admired that about her.

Yet, at the same time, she would throw those unspoken principles out the window, and let loose that same secret, just to protect the people she cared for.

That was also something I looked up to her for.

I smiled at her. She saw me and pouted.

"What now? Wanna crack a joke?" She asked, crossing her arms and raising her chin as if preparing for it.

I chuckled and shook my head, waving my arms back and forth. "Nah, I'm good. I'll find another time to tease ya."

"As you should." Holi said with a frown. "Let's remember the task at hand people."

At that, the entirety of us came to a collective silence.

"Alright." Holi sighed, rubbing her face. "So, Tamashi. How long ago has it been since your sister got taken?"

"I don't know." The boy said, rubbing his arm. "About an hour or so? I'm not a beta tester. So, I'm kind of... I don't know."

"Scared?" Jyun put it simply. Tamashi sent a glare the man's way, and-as expected-Jyun didn't react.

I agreed. "I would be too. It's uncharted territory, and this is your first time playing the game. It's only natural to feel that way."

Ren nodded. "That's right." She said, sending Jyun a pointed look. "No need to add insult to injury."

The tall player raised his hands with a sigh. "My bad."

" _Either way,"_ Holi said. "What are we going to do then?"

I raised my hand immediately.

"I'll go."

The group hushed at my proclamation.

Holi soon cut through the silence. "What?!" She exclaimed. "You're not a beta tester. Plus we need you here."

"No, you don't. At least not right now. _Plus_ , none of you can go. Holi, you and Heathcliff are needed on the west end, establishing that second base by the end of today, earliest tomorrow morning."

I then turned to Agil. "Agil, you and the others need to bring in more supporters. I know we have a good following right now, but we still need that influx of players. There's also still a lot of rioting going on throughout the city. You need to be on top of that."

Next was Kirie and Ren. "You guys are fairly new to this. Especially you, Kirie," I said. "You guys should go with Agil and help them out. You two are pretty famous. Roxy Red and The Girl Wonder together again? The morale you'd garner would inundate our enactment by double the amount we've been getting already."

I shrugged my shoulders with a relaxed laugh. "I've been passed out on this chair for the last four hours. Let me actually do something with my day."

SIlence ensued once more after my spiel. Though, Ren soon asked.

"What about Argo then?"

"Yeah," Argo chimed in, raising an eyebrow. "What _about_ me?"

I smirked, crossing my arms. "Well, like Holi said, I'm not a beta tester."

Argo raised her other brow, the two shooting up to her hairline. " _Oh_. Wow, dude."

Tamashi whistled. "Damn."

Heathcliff laughed. "Amazing."

I smiled around the room.

Kirie also looked thoroughly impressed. Only Ren held a subpar expression. Her eyebrows knitted together as she frowned.

"Saito..."

"I know." I'd sort of read her mind. "It'll be dangerous."

"It will. Very."

"But I'm not an idiot. And I have Argo with me." I grinned, resting my elbow on her shoulder. The info broker put up two peace signs.

"We'll be cool. I'll keep his mischievous butt in check."

Ren smiled tiredly at her, then up to me. "Please do."

Tamashi nodded to us two. "Thank you... for helping me. Both of you."

I looked at him, and nodded once. "Don't worry about it."

Jyun spied around the room, before raising up from his seat and stretching out his arms. He sighed at the pops of stress relieving themselves and yawned.

Soon he asked.

"Can I leave now?"

 **20 minutes later**

 **Main Gates**

Ren, Kirie, and Agil had come to see us off. Behind them stood a crowd of players, all dressed in civilian clothing.

The two girls had their hair tied up in ponytails, Kirie with her arms crossed, trademark heater shield strapped to her back. However, no sword was in sight.

No weapons, that was our foremost rule.

Ren didn't need any, weaponless in her beginner's attire. She looked at the three of us.

I had my green drifter's jacket equipped, over my leather chest guard and grey shirt. I had the brown pants and boots, as did the rest of us. Hanging from the small of my back, my curved sword was hidden within its sheath, attached to my waist by a brown belt

To the right of me, Tamashi stood. Fixed to his right hand, a shield similar to Kirie's laid. A sword was sheathed at his right hip. Over his redshirt strapped his leather guard, with the common lower body garments and footwear.

On my left, Argo wore a waist-length poncho, which hid most things under it. Though when she raised her hand to run through her hair, a long-sleeved brown shirt could clearly be seen, as well as a dark beige skirt. She had a brown belt, and attached on her left hip seemed to be a set of claw-like weapons.

They looked unorthodox and wild. I expected her to have a dagger or what have you. It begged the question, what kit did she start with?

 _'And where can I trade up?'_ I thought.

"Be careful." Ren spoke, her eyes conveyed worry that we all clearly received. I nodded and took a step forward.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. I promise."

"And we'll get Tamashi's sister back no prob." Argo added with a lazed smile, clasping her arms behind her head.

Tamashi gave a determined nod of his own, punching his right fist into the open palm of his left.

"Damn straight!"

Ren and I shared eye contact, and unspoken words passed between us. Though, at the end of the silent conversation, she'd visibly calmed down.

"Alright. We'll be he-"

"Hey!"

All of our heads turned at the sound of the new voice... or should I say, a familiar one.

Jogging up to our congregation, clad in a black short sleeved shirt, black-full-fingered gloves, a leather chest plate and the normal lower body gear, Jyun made an appearance.

"Jyun?" I asked, tilting my head. Tamashi stepped up with a growl. "What the hell is he doing here?"

The tall player stopped a few yards away from us. At his hip hung a curved sword, looking similar to mine. Strapped to his legs, however, a small belt of silver knives. I soon concluded that he was an assassin-type player, pouting.

"Yeah, what _are_ you doing here?" I parroted.

"You three are going to save this one's sister?" Jyun asked, thumbing over to Tamashi. I could hear him grumble about the lack of acknowledgment, answering his question.

"Yeah, as planned. Again-"

"Let me finish." He said. The set of words set off a chain memory, and soon I was grinning. "Sure."

Jyun had a simple smirk, knowing what went through my mind. "Turns out, she's not the only one missing. I did a little digging and it seems like these guys have done this to multiple young women."

"What?!" Kirie shouted.

"Saito." Ren warned.

I held up a hand. "Yeah, I know," I said, turning my head to give her a dead-eyed stare. "We'll bring them home."

Argo nodded. "All of them."

Tamashi seemed to get even angrier, huffing like a bull.

"I'm coming too." Jyun said, strolling up to us.

Tamashi shook his head. "You make no sense. I thought you didn't want to help?"

"I never said that." Jyun tilted his head. "I just said I didn't want to help you scream aimlessly at the top of your lungs. Those were fruitless efforts."

Jyun smirked dully, fixing his black gloves. "This is a fruitful one."

Tamashi growled, but with Argo's hand patting his back, he managed to let the comment pass, rolling his eyes and grumbling inaudibly.

I gave a roguish smirk and nodded. "Alright then, you're welcome."

Argo opened up her menu and soon enough, Jyun was sent a party request, he accepted and I went to check out the roster.

 _Argo_

 _Tamashi_

 _Saito_

 _Jyun_

Each of our health bars was full, 100% all the way down. I hoped it would stay that way, but who knew what awaited us...

I sent one last reassuring look to the group, my eyes lingering on Ren. She stared back, and her expression conveyed all the concern and warning she had left.

I smiled at her and turned, my party members flanking either side of me as we exited the Starting City.

"Alright guys," I grinned, raising my fist to the air. "Let's-!"

"Let's move out!" Argo exclaimed, grinning with a double fist to the air.

"Argo!" I frowned.

"You ain't party leader." Argo deadpanned, which made Tamashi snort. Jyun shrugged his shoulders, looking straight ahead.

"She's right. She has prevalence over you."

The broker grinned "Teehee."

I groaned, crossing my arms and begrudgingly following her lead.

" _Whatever_."

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ASCII Media Works and Yen Press. I own only my characters and concepts.)


	7. The Reunion

_**The Reunion**_

November 7, 2022

2:05

Floor 1

Town of Beginnings (Strener Avenue)

 **Reiha (Ren) Takagi**

* * *

"I hope they'll be alright."

"They will be, they have Argo."

"...true. Yeah."

It was actually a pretty warm day. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. The sky was a full blue, with puffy, cottony clouds floating around above us and the air was fresh and cool.

In contrast - and if you tilted your head just a smudge downward - you'd see the actual picture. Players splayed on the ground, doing aimless things, like swatting the air for no apparent reason or walking with helpless expressions on their faces. Others were crying uncontrollably, screaming out for the whole city to hear. There were still fights. People were angry, and that wrath wouldn't wilt any time soon. The city was immaculate - due to the system - yet the atmosphere was completely devastated.

Even so, that was why we were there, to help.

The streets of the Starting City were nothing to sniff at, even though things had calmed down since yesterday - Agil and his group of twenty made sure of that. But the streets still weren't safe. Earlier this morning Agil had taken me further into the city and showed me what they'd done so far.

There were three safe spots set up in the Town of Beginnings, which were guarded by five players. There, people, mostly females and small children, went to find shelter. At these safe spots food and lodging was provided. Any disorder or conflicts were dealt with by the five players, personally designated by Agil and Heathcliff . Holi also skipped around the three spots from time to time to make sure everything was okay.

It'd only been a day since Kayaba's announcement and things were far from optimal, but it was getting better, and that was all we hoped for.

Plus, no one likes Mondays anyway.

After we watched Saito, Argo, Tamashi, and Jyun leave, we began to patrol the city. The idea sprouted from Agil. He said the first thing people would need, above all else, was security, safety.

I agreed, and I know why Saito had said what he said. Apparently, in the span of a night, Kirie and I'd become "superstars". The word had gotten around that we'd saved a church full of kids from "big bad men" and Aincrad immediately pegged us as heroes.

Though, I could understand why.

In times of panic, people looked for a leader, a hero, someone or something they could cling to and believe in. If that happened to be a half-Irish redhead with a temper and a blonde with a shield, by all means.

Speaking of the church, that was where we were headed right now, and also where the second safe spot was established.

"Wonder if Sasha's doing okay," I asked, crossing my arms as we walked. Kirie shrugged her shoulders, a simple smile held onto her expression.

"I'm sure she is. It hasn't been long since we've seen her, and Agil made sure those five players were there to keep them from harm."

"You're damn skippy I did." Agil interjected. We both looked up to see his beaming smile. "Don't worry you two. Miss Sasha and the children are doing just fine. I've been getting messages from my team and everything's been going smoothly."

Kirie nudged me with her arm. "See?" She said with a smile. "They're fine."

I nodded silently, frowning and looking to the floor.

"What's going on?" Kirie asked, leaning down.

"Nothing, nothing. Just thinking." I saw the blonde raise an eyebrow. "About what?" She asked, righting herself as we continued down the street.

"I don't know. Just life in general... and how we'll live it in this game. Though Saito put a positive spin on things, we may be here longer than we hope."

"We're already here longer than we'd hoped. It was my turn to cook dinner last night." Kirie laughed, patting my back. "But, and I know I sound very hypocritical when I say this, I feel like everything will be okay. We'll work this out."

She sent me a wry grin and a looked at her for a moment, before responding in kind. "I've only met you yesterday and here you are, having my back once again."

Kirie giggled as she lowered her arm from behind me, shrugging her shoulders. "You'd do the same."

I nodded. "Yeah, I would."

Agil left us alone to talk, conferring with the rest of our group. There were four others who walked along around us. Three of them were men, but there was another female, older than Kirie and I by maybe a year or two.

She had smooth, mocha-colored skin, lighter than Agil's, yet darker than ours. She was taller than us by a few inches as well. Her short, curly black hair adorned the sides of her face, and her sable eyes focused forward.

Even though she was - of course - darker than us, she didn't seem to be completely foreign. In fact, I noticed she carried a mix of Western and Eastern and features. I just couldn't put a pin on what she was, not that I'd have much time to think about it. She soon noticed me staring at her.

"Um..."

"Ah, sorry dude!" I waved my hands back and forth. "Didn't mean to stare, sorry. You're really beautiful though."

The girl looked at me weirdly, before her expression quickly lightened. She grinned and nodded. "Thanks, you too. Love your hair." She said in fluent Japanese, accent and all. I could hear the genuinity in her tone as she leaned forward and addressed Kirie.

"Yours too. Beautiful colors."

Kirie smiled modestly, running a lock of hair over her ear. "Thank you. Like Ren said, you're gorgeous."

The girl laughed and shooed away the comments. "Aw shucks. You two are so nice. No wonder you're so popular."

"I'm still not used to it." I sighed, looking over to Kirie to see if she was faring any better. "What do you thin-"

The girl's expression was stagnant. Though, there were traces of forlorn. Now it was my turn to be confused.

Opening my mouth to ask what was wrong, Agil spoke aloud.

"We're here!"

Both eyebrows raised as my eyes shot up to the 1st Floor monument. I squinted my them and shaded them with my hand, taking in the grandeur of the imposing building.

Just a day ago, this place permeated with instability, and now it was a pinnacle of hope.

Goes to show how easily your perception of things can change.

Agil and the rest of our group headed into the compound and towards the wooden double doors, leaving Kirie and I behind a few steps.

I turned to look at her, eyeing her over. She looked up at the building, though her eyes were glazed over as if she was stuck in the past. It was like something was sucking the life out of her. I pursed my lips and took a step forward, reaching out and grabbing her hand.

The contact seemed to shock her out of her trance, and she stared at me. I smiled warmly.

"You are okay, Kirie." I said.

The blonde stared at me, mouth slightly open. "..."

She sighed and I could hear the stress leave her body before she returned to me with a smile.

"I know. We got this." Her smile widened into a grin, and I beamed.

"Hell yeah, we do. Come on." I said, tugging at her arm. "Let's go see Sasha."

"Yeah." Kirie agreed, following me as we went to meet with the rest of the group, the sun shining, birds singing, and the cottony clouds floating above.

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

 **Forest Entrance**

"Wow." I whistled, taking three steps back as my head swiveled left and right. "This forest is huge."

"Very big indeed." Jyun added in his robotic tone.

Tamashi had his menu open, staring at it. A red dot was pinging on the holographic screen, pinpointing the direction of his sister, Irene.

I suspected that wasn't the girl's real name, but who was I to ask? This game was now reality. We were technically a bunch of strangers to him. He was right to keep his real name secret from us. If you looked at it objectively, we really didn't know if we could trust each other yet.

Argo was fiddling with something under her cloak. I heard the jingling of metal and turned my head to see her equipping her cool-looking weapons. Claws, consisting of brown gauntlets with two blades exiting about a half a foot out of the blade.

She pulled her hood over the head, sniffing at the air before rotating her body and holding up a claw holstered hand.

"Alrighty dolts, weapons out. This is a dangerous forest to traverse if you're not experienced, like me." She smiled smugly.

I frowned and rolled my eyes, reaching behind me to draw my curved sword. As the blade slithered out of its sheath, I held it up, taking another look at the weapon. It'd been almost a whole day since I'd drawn the blade, and now, I was looking at it through a different mindset.

Yesterday, this blade was a tool for fun, for adventure, for the mere experience of a world unlike any other I've ever been in.

Now, at this very moment, this was a tool for survival, a tool for my well-being, my safety. I glared at the weapon, the afternoon sun allowed it to respond in kind. I sighed and lowered the weapon to my side, looking up.

Everyone was waiting for me, Argo squinting her eyes and puckering her lips. I scrunched up my face and asked.

"What?"

"You're weird."

"What's up man?" Tamashi asked, rubbing his arm, his shield and sword drawn. He eyed me carefully. "You alright?"

Jyun didn't say anything, though his expression spoke wonders of what he thought. I groaned and jogged up to them.

"Leave me alone. Come on let's go."

"Um, last time I checked you're not party lea-"

"Lalalala! Can't hear you!"

"Real mature, bro."

"Indeed."

"He's always like this."

"Oh hush!"

 **15 minutes later**

We'd soon neared the location of Tamashi's sister, quieting our antics and creeping slowly towards the red dot. Thankfully no one was wearing any metal armor, Tamashi had the most gear out of us four, yet he made sure every step he took was carefully thought out.

We could hear the sounds of male voices in the near distance, just past a thick row of bushes.

Argo snuck up ahead of us, behind the line of shrubbery. She crawled slowly before peeking through the bush.

"What do you see?" Tamashi whispered, sneaking up near her. Argo shook her head. "Not much... we may need to pop our heads over."

"They'll see us." Jyun deadpanned, doing the same as Tamashi on the other side. I for one positioned myself to the farthest of the bushes, right near a tree. "I'll take a look." I said, motioning to the tree and crab-walking over.

"Be careful!" Argo quietly warned.

As I reached the tree, I slowly raised myself up, swallowing some saliva and taking a deep breath. I pressed my back against the trunk, daring to tilt my head to the left and angle my body outwards, just a smudge.

My left eye caught a glimpse of the scene. Three backs were turned to us, and four bodies were faced in my direction, sitting on the ground. On closer inspection, I noticed the grounded figures were girls, standing over them, three males.

They were conversing among themselves, though I couldn't really hear what they were saying. Something about "her" not meeting them and "stupid ideas", it was all very garbled nonsense, and I didn't have time to listen in, before hearing one of the men scream at a whimpering girl to shut up.

I stuck my head out further, just to get a closer look. I only noticed two, a woman with orange hair, and another with brown hair. The orangette looked up with piercing blue eyes, though stayed quiet, the other rocking back and forth, looking around frantically. Their hair was frazzled, and their clothes were dirty. There were also red gash and slap marks on their faces. The other two girls, one with black hair and another with brown hair, were surrounding a large tree trunk. I couldn't see their faces.

Ducking down and carefully making my way back over, I asked Tamashi. "Your sister, does she have orange hair?"

Tamashi's eyes lit up and he eagerly nodded. "She dyed it two weeks ago."

I smiled, nudging my head over there. "She's over there, along with three other girls."

"So what's the plan, bossman?" Argo asked quietly. Jyun looked at me, wondering the same thing.

Instead of risking getting caught, I motioned for them to pull back. We all shifted away from the bushes, and a few minutes later, we were successfully out of earshot.

"Alright, Saito. My sister's right there. What's stopping us from busting in and kicking their ass?" Tamashi asked, slamming his fist into the palm of his other hand.

Jyun shook his head. "We can't be brash. We risk putting the females in more danger than they already are. They're orange players."

Argo nodded. "They are, and we may be more in number, but they, according to Saito, are grown men."

"Probably in their late twenties, early thirties," I added. "I mean, one of them's quite heavy-set. Though, the others aren't, one's fit, the other's lanky, taller than the rest."

The three of them nodded, and I sighed, rubbing my chin. "Alright, I have a plan. A little soccer strategy we used to do get easy points."

Jyun, Argo, and Tamashi looked at me weirdly, and I smirked at them, holding up a finger. "It's called Switch the Attack."

"Sounds like a weird name."

"Sounds like a sex position."

"You play soccer?"

I waved away their comments with annoyance. "Nevermind the name!" I said in a hushed yell. "All that matters is this will take their eyes off anything else for the first few seconds. Here's how we'll play it."

The four of us huddled together, and I conveyed the plan.

 **2 minutes later**

We crept back up to the bushes, and I nodded to them, they all signaled they got the plan. With a deep breath, I closed my eyes, muttering for whatever deity above that was listening to protect me.

Then I made my move.

 _ **Fssh** **!**_

"Gahh!" I tumbled out of the bushes, rolling twice before splaying out on the ground, right in front of the three guys. I breathed heavily and loudly, sword in my hand and HP depleted by 30%.

"Oh god!" I groaned.

I'd cut myself all over beforehand, red gashes appearing everywhere on my body to produce a "Wounded puppy" look.

"They were so strong!" I screamed.

"What the fuck?!" The fattest of the group roared in surprise. He glared daggers at me, pointing a wooden spear my way. I wasn't truly focused on him, continuing to groan, I tilted my head back, taking a better look at our capture.

Irene was looking at me with wild and confused eyes. The other was crying. Alright, now. I scrambled to my feet as the other two walked briskly towards me, pointing their weapons at me.

"Who the hell are you?!" The lanky one asked, shaking his sword in my face. I left my own on the ground, shooting my hands into the air and showing I meant no harm. I gulped obviously, shaking my head.

"N-no, dude! I don't want any trouble I-I-"

"Shut up! Get out of here while you have the chance kid!" The fit one said.

"This isn't any of your business, get outta here!" Fatty chimed in, helpfully. I backed up as they neared, prowling like hyenas. They had wild looks in their eyes, they were desperate, crazed, depraved...

My eyes widened as one of them lunged at me. Taking a step back, my other foot dug under the blade of my sword and launched it into the air.

"NOW!" I yelled.

Jyun and Argo flew out from behind, a single knife in each of their hands. The blades glowed a mesmerizing blue as they launched the item for the back of the lanky's man's kneecaps. The three players were all focused on me and didn't hear the vacuum sound of the skill until it was too late.

The knives struck the back of the man's legs and he yelped, falling to his knees in shock. I grabbed my airborne sword and slammed the pommel into the man's nose,

 _ **Glrch!**_

The lanky one was down. "Tamashi!" I yelled, having still had the element of surprise on my side. The other two were still slightly stunned by what had just happened.

"What-"

"Grah!"

The fit one turned to get Tamashi's shield to the chin. Tamashi's form was impeccable. He swung the shield like he was holding a baseball bat, the shield struck the fit one's chin, sending him rocking back, cursing to the heaven's.

"Jesus chritht! FU-" It seemed that he bit his tongue.

I ducked down behind him and whipped my sword across his hamstrings. The blade cut right through, and he was on his knees, only for Tamashi to come in with a flying fist. The punch struck with such force, I thought he'd broken the guy's neck from how fast his head rocked.

"Damn dude."

He was down, and so was the lanky one. I looked over just to make sure. He was clutching his legs, trying to pull out the knives. Jyun had appeared, placing his foot atop the man's arm, curved sword out and prodding at his nose.

"Don't move."

Tamashi huffed defiantly and kicking the unconscious man over on his back. I could tell he was resisting violent urges.

Argo walked up to the heaviest of the three, pointing her claws at him. The Tamashi and I flanked her, weapons ready.

"Give up fatso, piss off while you still can."

"I'm giving him 5 seconds guys." Tamashi said through a restrained growl.

Nothing else needed to be said, the man squealed and ran, leaving his friends behind as he hurried off through the forest, tripping and falling some ways away, before getting up and running again.

I sighed.

"Takashi!" the orangette said. I turned my head to see her writhing in her grip. "How'd you find me?"

Tamashi gave the man one last look, before turning and heading over to undo his sister's bonds, along with the others. They began to converse and a tearful reunion began.

Argo and I looked to each other and smiled, before heading over to help undo the other girls.

Jyun proceeded to knock the lanky one out with a foot to the face and followed behind us, sheathing his sword. I did the same, walking around the trunk and bending down to untie the last girl.

"Hey, you're safe now. We're here to-"

"Satoru...?"

I froze.

How did she...? Wait, that voice.

"That voice..."

I raised my head, and our eyes met. Staring at me, with tear-filled eyes, the girl tilted her eyes, her black hair adorning the sides of her face, locks fraying and covering some of her face.

"Is that you?"

I couldn't move, I couldn't speak. My jaw went slack and my mouth stayed open. My eyes were glued on her as I undid the last knot.

"A-Akane?"

 _ **GRUOOOOOOOOOOOOOAHHHHHHHH!**_

Everyone went quiet.

I went still, my eyes narrowing quickly. That wasn't... it couldn't be... could it? No way. I slowly turned my head, giving Argo a questioning stare.

She looked just a bewildered.

 _ **CRSH!**_

A tree fell somewhere in the woods, east of our current position.

"Is that...?" Tamashi asked, holding Irene close, the girl settling in he brother's arms. Jyun had a look of terror on his face, black eyes focused on the direction of the sound. He held back the other two girls behind his tall figure.

"It has to be..." He confirmed. Argo shook her head slowly, slashing at the rope around one female's wrists as it fell to the ground.

"We need to go! Now!"

 _ **GRUOOOOOOOOO!**_

"Now! Now!" She screamed, pushing Jyun and the girls towards where we came. The squealed and held onto Jyun as he led them towards the plains.

I quickly threw the rope away and hefted Akane to her feet. "Can you move?" I asked quickly. She nodded, and that was all I needed. Tamashi and Irene were already running, and we were right behind them.

We rushed through the trees, trying our best to rid ourselves of the forest before that thing caught up to us.

"Come on, come on!" I yelled, boots hitting ground as we hurried. The entrance to the forest was about 5 minutes away. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I had a feeling we weren't going to make it...

And I was right.

 _ **Womph**_

I felt my body lose gravity and suddenly, the trees were moving by with tremendous speed. I didn't know what'd happened till my body slammed against a tree trunk.

"Agh!"

I crumpled to the ground, groaning as I struggled to raise myself up. My ears were ringing, and my vision was blurry. I felt like I'd been hit by a stun grenade. I could hear the muffled screams of my party, looking up through clouded eyes and trying to make sense of the situation.

I saw a large black blob. It inched closer and closer to... who was that...? A-Akane...?

"Akane... Akane...?"

My vision cleared and the picture was clear as day. Akane had her hands in front of her, trying to calm the monstrous clump of fur and teeth.

There it was, the Alpha...

My bottom lip quivered in horror. No... she was going to die. Someone do something. Call somebody! She needed to get out of there! She needed to move! Move!

"MOVE!" I screamed, pushing off my back foot and launching myself forward. I threw my sword onto my shoulder, the blade exploding in an orange light.

"RAGH!" I roared, running towards the beast with reckless abandon. The wolf shot its red eyes in my direction, snarling. My eyes widened and **Reaver** sparked alive like a firework. I jumped forward and brought my blade in front of me. The skill threw my body forward, and before I knew it, I'd stabbed straight into the wolf's left paw. Light erupted from the point of impact.

I growled wildly and twisted the glowing sword, pushing it as deep as it would go. The beast cried out in pain and what I could only assume to be anger, it threw it's paw to the ground, I dislodged myself blade just quickly enough to not get smashed.

I tumbled with a roll and messily rose to my feet, gripping my sword with both hands. Akane ran up to me.

"Toru!"

"I-I'm fine! I'm good, you?!"

"I'm okay. We need to run!"

"I kno-whoa!" I grabbed for her and threw us to the floor as a skill powered claw tore through the air for us.

 _ **BANG!**_

 _ **Gruoooo!**_

"You guys okay?!"

I raised my head to see Tamashi, shield up and alight with a green skill, sword in his other hand. Next to him, stood his sister, a slimmer blade in her hand. She held her hand out.

"Come on, on your feet!" She said, as I grabbed her hand and hoisted myself up, I did the same for Akane, who took a position behind me. She opened her menu for what I guessed was a weapon.

I felt a pat on my back and turned to see Argo glaring at the beast. "We got your back, Sai-bou."

Jyun strode up beside her, drawing his curved sword. "Indeed."

I smirked roguishly, rubbing some dirt from my face and staring at The Alpha. It had barely any health left in yellow, but it had a buff by its HP bar. The icon depicted bared and drooling fangs. I heard the sound of an item appearing and Akane appeared beside me. In her hand, a straight sword.

"I'm with you." She said, and I nodded.

The wolf stalked forwards and we all readied ourselves. I glared at those red eyes, gripping the handle of my weapon.

"Bring it Toto."

 **Reiha (Ren) Takagi**

* * *

We entered through the double doors, following Agil and the rest of our group inside the cathedral.

I looked up at the ornately crafted arches above, the stain glass windows just below them, and the pews that would've systematically took two halves of the sanctuary. With the help of the players sheltered here, they'd pushed the pews to the ends of the building, maximizing on their space.

I looked around and could already tell who was in charge. There were two players standing in the center of the busy building, males, one taller than the other with brown hair flowing down to their chin, the other with their hair glossed up in a biker body wave atop his head. The other three players could be seen helping out other players. I quickly noticed the familiar face among them. Sasha, the caretaker we'd met yesterday, had sat down with mothers and their children. All of their menus were open, and she seemed to be instructing them as to how to use it.

On the other side, a boy was playing a group of younger players, They were all gathered around him, looking at his inventory as he made up tales of adventures and other miscellaneous things. I smiled at the faces of excitement and intrigue on the little kids' faces.

The other, another female, held up a sort of vegetable like item, describing to a number of players what it was and where to find it. It seemed to be edible. I didn't know. I usually didn't have to worry about food when I could just log off...

"It's so busy in here." Kirie whistled, looking around. She saw Sasha and beamed. "Ren, Sasha. Let's go say hi!" She said, waving at the bespectacled lady. Sasha noticed us and waved with a bright smile.

I smiled and responded in kind. Though, before I could follow Kirie over, one of the two men in the center exclaimed.

"Agil!"

The dark-skinned man laughed a hefty laugh, meeting his friend in the center as the two shook hands. Agil turned and gestured to the six of us-well, five. Kirie went to talk to Sasha-and introduced us to.

"Newcomers, this is Diavel." He said, reaching out and pulling the other male closer. "And _this_ is Lind."

Diavel smiled gently and gave a slight bow. "Nice to meet you all. You guys are doing a great thing here."

The other male with the weird haircut sniffed the air. "Hey." He said simply. I smirked. Albeit somewhat confused. I nodded my head and gave my name.

"I'm Ren, nice to meet you guys."

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ASCII Media Works and Yen Press. We own only our characters and concepts.)

 **SOOOOOO LATE SORRY Y'ALL!**

 **But, don't worry. I've got you all with a two-chapter apology.**


	8. Wild Times

_**Wild Times**_

 **November 7, 2022**

 **2:54 PM**

 **Town of Beginnings/Starting City**

* * *

Unbeknownst to the happenings outside of their little party, a group of four had taken shelter in one of the Starting City's many taverns. Within the shabby little room, the four players had taken seats in the chairs that surrounded a roundtable. They were all quiet, expressions varying from intrigued to passive.

The silence would continue for another moment and one of them would speak up. " _Alright_ guys, we've sulked long enough. Get the gloom and doom out of your systems, hm? Let's focus."

The man speaking had a toothy grin on his face, whimsical eyes switching between all three of his fellow party members.

"Focus on what exactly, Grimoire?" The player to the left of him spoke. He raised his head, empty eyes settling on the man. "You talk a big game, but I have yet to see you actually _explain_ your vision and your plan. I won't be a meat shield for you. "

"Hey-"

Grimoire held his hand up, stopping Hyperion from starting anything. He smiled nonetheless.

"It's okay. I understand your speculation, Royce."

"I agree with the young man here." Came a gruffer voice. Everyone in the group turned to face the physically largest member of their group. His burly arms were crossed as his brown eyes stared at the man across from him.

"You've told me you want me to be apart of this plan, Grimoire. But what exactly is it? Saving the world is quite a broad goal. Please elaborate."

The room grew quiet as Pargod questioned their party leader. Hyperion sighed. As faithful as she was, the girl also seemed uneasy. She looked to Grimoire for some sort of reassurance.

Thankfully, he didn't disappoint.

Grimoire sat back in his seat, eyes meeting Pargod's. He inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"When this game started, I was ecstatic. Incredibly happy. I felt like, I could be whoever I wanted to be, you know?" He raised his right hand. "A hero, who saves the princess."

He raised his left. "An adventurer, who scours the world."

Both hands lifted. "A cook, an archer, a musician, a dragon tamer, an assassin... I felt like I could be _anything_ my imagination could concieve. That was the freedom this game had given me, the freedom of choice..."

Grimoire smiled, eyes lowering to run along the straight lines that spanned the lengths of the table. Suddenly, they darkened, those twinkling onyx irises became an inky black, and his smile diminished into a hard line.

"Then, Kayaba appeared, phantom robes, white gloves, the whole nine yards." His hands closed into tightly-knitted fists.

"And just like that, my dreams were crushed, all of ours were." He said, looking around as he leaned forward, bringing his right hand forth and resting his elbow on the table. He put his pointer finger up.

"However, he didn't stop there. No. He took it one. Step. Further." Grimoire expression only seemed to darken.

"He didn't just take away our dreams... he took away our freedom of choice. He took away our lives..."

The group had gone deathly quiet, traces of forlorn and anger lining their countenances.

"I was frozen... standing right in the middle of the chaos that Kayaba had started," Grimoire said. "I watched as people jumped to their deaths, as the elderly were trampled upon, as children walked around, lost and _alone_ , without their parents to guide them. I saw fights break out of the blue. I saw my own group of newly formed friends tear each other apart... It was overwhelming."

Grimoire sat back again, rubbing his face. "I... I tried to help this little boy find his mother. Suddenly, a group of men snatched him up in front of me. I ran after them, trying to catch up with this terrified young boy. I could see the fear in his eyes as he cried and cried. But I couldn't do anything. Two of the guys lagged behind and struck me down. Once I hit the floor, they made sure to keep me there."

Grimoire looked up and ran a hand through his hair. "I looked for that kid for hours. _Hours._ I never found him."

Royce stared at Grimoire hard. His dead eyes receiving some glint of light from the sun outside. He didn't interrupt this time and waited for the man to finish, as did the rest of them.

Dropping his hands on the table, Grimoire shook his head. "I wound up walking aimlessly through a city of turmoil and pain. I could taste it. It permeated the air... I didn't know what to do, where to go, what would happen to me... and that's when I saw Hyperion."

She looked up and Grimoire smiled.

"There she was, crying in an alleyway, curled up in a tight ball." His head shook again. "I walked up to her and asked what was wrong. She raised her head and said that she'd been robbed of everything she had..."

Grimoire brought a hand to rest on her shoulder, squeezing it. "I asked..." He started, his voice beginning to break. "I asked 'What do you mean? If you stay in town you'll be alright. You won't die.'"

Tears ran down Hyperion's cheeks and she fiercely tried to wipe them away. Grimoire laughed dejectedly. "She- she said 'No! You don't understand, you don't understand... they robbed me of everything _... everything_ I had...'"

Hyperion had broken down, clutching her arms and crying softly. Grimoire brought his hand from her shoulder to her head, ruffling her raven hair. "It was in that moment that I decided that this could no longer happen. That I wouldn't let this happen. This couldn't be how the world was, and by the way things were going, it would only get worse. I had to do something. So I did."

He grinned tearfully at the girl, who seemed to have gotten a grip on her emotions, sniffling as quietly as she could. Pargod held his hand to his mouth, other still crossed. He closed his eyes as tears streamed down his face.

Royce's own shook back and forth, trying not to betray his will not to start like the rest of them.

Grimoire elevated his vision and spanned it across the room. "I took her hand and pulled her to her feet. Then, I told her that she would be okay and that we would get out of here." He looked at her and she looked back.

"Together."

The room went noiseless again, and Grimoire spoke.

"My plan, Royce, Pargod-" His sable eyes switched between them. "is to save the world yes. But that starts with a team, that starts with a family. People I can put my trust in, people I know will have my back, just like I have theirs my _plan_. My plan is to unite every player under a banner, one banner. We can't keep divided... We can't keep this separation between us. We need to come together to beat this game. We need to bring our various strengths under one driving force, and show Kayaba that we won't play by his rules." His hand balled into a fist.

"...that we won't become the playthings he wants us to be."

Pargod looked at the man, _this_ man.

To say he was at a loss for words would be a terrible understatement. He was astounded. Who knew young men like this were able to think so clearly... so undeterred. Pargod cleared his throat crossing his arms again.

"Where do we start then, leader?"

Grimoire's eyebrows shot to his hairline and Pargod smirked. He looked to Royce, who nodded his head.

"I'm... I'm with you, Grimoire." He said, raising his body and tilting his head down, giving him a hard stare. "If you're serious about this, let's do it."

Hyperion had relieved her face of the rest of its tears. "Where do we go from here?" She asked, giving Grimoire a determined stare.

The man took a gander at his group, smiling widely. His eyes narrowed and a grin formed. He pushed back in his seat and stood up.

"Well for starters," He laughed, wiping some remnant tears from his eyes and placing his hands on his hips.

"We're in the _wrong_ town people."

 **3:58**

 **First Floor Forest**

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

 _BOOM!_

The forest reverberated with crashes and explosions. Lights flashed in the morning sky as grunts and cries of war filled the air.

"Gah!"

I crashed to the ground, managing to bounce away from the bounding beast. «The Alpha» neared with ferocious speed, and only Tamashi grabbing me by the collar and flinging me behind his shield would save my life.

 _SHING!_

"Ragh!" He yelled in defiance, pushing back against the battering attacks. It pushed him back, but he stood firm.

"Guys! _Little_ help!"

"On it!" Argo yelled, swerving in front of him and swinging her claws upwards, tearing at the Alpha's snout. It howled, stumbling back and shaking its head with a grizzly growl.

"Switch!"

Jyun was next, zooming past the broker and activating **Reaver**. The orange skill cut through the air and slashed at the wolf's arm joint. He flipped and drew a throwing knife, launching it at The Alpha's retreating back. The beast's health dipped again.

"I'm next!"

Akane ran forward, blue light trailing from her sword. When she got close enough she cut across the air, aiming to add damage to Jyun's attacks. Though, the creature wasn't so foolish. Twisting its neck, it turned its body away from the attack and sent his tail right into her body.

"Oof!"

She flew back, skidding against the ground.

"Akane!" I screamed, readying **Reaver** again. It was the only skill I had at the time. I noticed Jyun reaching for another throwing knife as he circled around to attack once more.

Rushing in as the wolf's back was exposed, Tamashi let loose some skill. His sword carved through the air and cut through the wolf's bristled fur, leaving a red gash in its wake. Light exploded from the point of impact and Tamashi easily hopped back, shield in front of him and sword at the ready.

"On your left, Takashi!" Came another voice. From behind him, orange hair flowed into existence, a pair of ice cold eyes focused on their prey and in a flash, Irene made contact with the mob's back.

The skill she used was fast. It struck much quicker than **Reaver** could. The wolf's body lurched forward, before it screeched and spun its body, its claws gyrating through the air and lashing at Irene. If she didn't have her sword up, that would've been a nasty hit.

Even still, the claw had hooked onto her slender sword, and apart of her clothing, sending her tumbling away.

"Inori!" Tamashi yelled frantically. He wasn't paying attention and The Alpha took advantage of this. The spinning claws careened for him at breakneck speeds, its red eyes gleaming for their target.

"No, you _don't!_ " I let my charged skill fly, jetting off for the claws. **Reaver** pierced through the first, stopping it in its motion, but the momentum of movement threw me away. I went airborne and closed my eyes, bracing my body for impact. I hit the ground and slid to a stop, breathing heavily.

"Shit..." I cursed as I looked up to my health bar. I was in the yellow now, just reaching 58%. This wasn't good. We'd been at this for about 15 minutes now, and The Alpha just seemed to be getting stronger and stronger.

No matter what we threw at him, he seemed to grow in speed and power. Every hit we dealt he rebutted in stronger kind.

Managing to rise to my feet, I wiped the sweat from my brow and jogged back up, eyeing the Field Boss's health bar.

It was now in the red, around 30-35% left, I couldn't tell from this distance.

"Satoru!"

I looked around until I saw Akane running up to me. She was grabbing her side. "You okay?" She asked.

I nodded meeting her midway and touching her left side. "I'll be better once we deal with Fido, how 'bout you?"

"Eh..." she laughed, shrugging her shoulder. "I'll be fine."

Irene ran past us, her sword glowing silver again. "Guys! Big baddy boss! Come on!"

"Right... right!" I patted Akane's arm and we both followed Irene back into the fray. Argo and Jyun had backed off from fighting, taking shelter a few yards behind Tamashi's shield. The wolf struck it again and again, and when it grew tired of Tamashi, his sword and shield would light up. Tamashi would then bang both items together, producing a loud sound.

"Oy! Over here pup! Come on!"

"What's he-"

"He's gathering aggro!" Irene explained, nearing the scene with swift steps. The orangette stomped forward and swiveled her hips, before thrusting out into the wolf's unsuspected side.

"Yah!"

The skill knocked the wolf off balance and Akane came in with the same skill from before. Her sword cut through the air again and this time, it made contact, cutting right through the wolf's leg.

I used my favorite skill and jumped in right after letting the orange light take me home. The attack struck the same spot Akane's did. The wolf roared and the three of us glanced at each other. We silently agreed and all of us split up.

This way, the wolf would have to focus on one of us.

"Don't forget about _us!_ " Argo yelled coming in with a fierce double claw slash to the other leg.

"Grah!"

"You ready, Slendy?!" Tamashi threw the question behind him. Jyun had backed up a few yards. He then ran up to Tamashi, who hunkered down.

"Let's go!" the assassin yelled, hopping just above Tamashi. The swordsman grunted as Jyun landed on his shield and pushed up with all his might, shooting him into the air.

Jyun spun and angled himself just above the boss. He rested his sword against his shoulder. I backed away and looked up.

"What in the world?!"

"Get 'im!" Tamashi encouraged. Argo grinned roguishly and I suddenly got the feeling this was her idea...

"Shut up!" Jyun yelled back, as **Reaver** sprung to life. Suddenly he flew downwards. The Alpha looked up, just in time to get a face full of Jyun's sword. He made sure he stuck it as deep into the wolf's cranium as it would go, giving a defiant cry just to make sure it knew he meant business.

I paused as the wolf's health decreased a full 15%, now on its last legs, 9% to go. I shook my head and shouted.

"Now guys! Now!" I went to use **Reaver** again, however, a window popped onto my screen. I didn't have time to read it, pushing it aside and activating the skill. Appearing at my side, Akane did the same, her sword handle aimed to the sky, as the blade ignited blue as before.

Irene had bolted forward as well, silver imbuing itself within her own weapon. She went to attack from the back.

Jyun fell to the floor and, with a messy roll, leaped up and let another skill-powered knife fly.

Argo pounced from the opposite side of us, claws alight with a red glow. She charged to slice right through the monster.

Tamashi bolted forward, sword gleaming with a similar sword skill to Akane.

 _"YAHHHHH!"_

Together, we besieged the monster. A rainbow of lights detonated from our spot within the forest, and a bright white light discharged from the power of the skill ensemble.

The light filled my eyes, and I shut them in order to not go blind.

Soon, though, it faded... and what was left were six exhausted teenagers and thousands of floating digital shards.

I huffed and puffed, my left eye partially closed as I watched the spot where The Alpha had just been.

 _'...Is it over?'_ I thought. Though that, in an of itself, was a task.

We all waited.

5 seconds passed, and then 10... then 15. By 20, we all collapsed to the ground, in heaps of weariness and fatigue.

"Holy shit." Tamashi laughed tiredly. "Did we really just-"

" _Yeah_ dude..." Argo groaned. "We just defeated the first field boss in all of Aincrad. _Yay_. Go us." She threw a lazy hand into the air, only for it fall back to the ground.

She began to laugh as well, and soon, the mirth spread through our little group. I sighed gleefully, finally taking a look at that screen that'd opened up earlier.

I was surprised at what I read.

 **New Skill Unlocked!**

 **« Butcher »**

 **«** A medium-level, two-hit combo attack. It slashes down vertically, with both strikes able to induce a **Bleed** effect for 10 seconds each. **»**

I blinked.

"Huh."

"Hey."

The voice poked at my conscious, and I looked up, seeing Akane standing over me. She had her free hand outstretched, a gentle smile aimed at me.

"Come on. Let's get out of here."

A chuckle escaped my lips, and I nodded, reaching up, taking her hand, and pulling myself up.

"Hey, we-"

"Yeah," She already knew, pushing some black hair over her shoulder. "We definitely have to talk..."

I made a face, bobbing my head up and down in agreement.

Thankfully, since the boss was defeated-according to Argo, no more Dire Wolves would spawn in the forest for the rest of the day. The broker stated that the spawn took up a majority of the mob population on this floor. However, this would make the way to Horunka easier.

"By the way, who got the «Last Attack Bonus»?"

"You mean including the huge sum of dough we just received, you get something _else_?"

"Yeah," Argo put up her right hand, pointer finger extending. "At the end of every boss fight, the one who gets the last hit gains an additional sum of money and a « Last Attack Bonus». It's usually something pertaining to the boss itself, like a pelt, or a sword, or-"

"Or the wolf's head?" Irene spoke up, raising her head with an intrigued smile. Argo nodded slowly.

" _Yeah_... that could work too."

She chuckled. "Kay, look guys." She opened up her screen and clicked on a few things before holding her hands out. We waited ten seconds and out of thin air, The Alpha materialized.

"Woah!"

"Jesus!"

We all backed away from Irene, and I stared at the thing incredulously. It wasn't The Alpha... at least not all of it.

The head, red eyes, teeth, and all, stared blankly into the distance.

"That is all sorts of creepy, Inori." Tamashi shivered.

"Oh come on, bro. I think its kinda cute." She said with a smile, admiring the head in her hands.

I was currently forcing my vomit down, holding a fist over my mouth.

" _Adorable_." I gagged.

Akane shook her head. "Put it away put it _away!_ "

"Aw come on guys!" She pouted raising the head in front of her. "I'm the Alpha, I'm big and bad. Bwaha _haaa_."

Argo laughed. "Pfft, that's _so_ not how he'd sound! More like this-" She took the head and gave us a more nasally voice. "I'm your worst nightmare! I'm the Alpha! Here me howl! Awooooo!"

I turned away. "I'm gonna puke."

"Right behind ya..." Jyun was keeled over. Tamashi pushed Irene's head. "Put it away guys. _Ew_."

"You dudes are no fun," Argo whined, giving the head back to Irene, who held it close.

"Anyways, I looked at the stats. That head gives you twenty percent more attack power to your base stats. If you wear it around here, you can also ward off any attacking wolf spawns."

"Neat," Irene said, turning to Tamashi. She held out the head for him. "But it'll just slow me down. Here bro."

Tamashi was surprised, as were the rest of us. "Me? Why would you-"

"You saved me." She said. "I knew you would... but I didn't know how." She looked around, eyes scanning our group.

"The fact that you were able to make friends and get us free... you really came through for us. For me."

She inched closer with the head. "So here, take it. I already have more Cor than you anyway." She smiled.

Tamashi looked spellbound. Lost in his head, he took the Alpha's. "Thank you, sis..."

The girl clasped her hands behind her back, smile pertaining. "No problem."

" _Aw_." Akane gushed. Jyun smiled and Argo snickered. I crossed my arms, giving them a nod.

"Nice." I grinned.

I then turned my head left and right. "So guys... remember the other two girls we saved? Where'd they go?"

"They ran for their lives when the Alpha showed up." Jyun sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"They're okay though... hopefully."

"Hmph." Argo rolled her eyes. " _Ungrateful_ much."

I laughed. "At least they're safe. So guys. What's the plan?" I asked around, resting back on my hindmost leg.

"We all heading back into town? Argo and I could really use some help."

"Seriously." Argo agreed. "Things are still looking bleak back there." She thumbed over her shoulder to the distant city.

Tamashi opened his menu and equipped the head. It disappeared and appeared again, now tied to his waist with a thick rope, the head swinging from his left hip.

"Well, now that I found my sister, I got nothing better to do."

Irene inclined her head. "I also have to pay you guys back for saving my hide." She said, patting her rapier and smiling to the three of us.

"So you can count me in too."

Argo and I looked at each other and grinned.

"Oh yeah!"

"Awesome."

Jyun kept quiet the whole time. When we were finished celebrating, he spoke, catching us all by surprise.

"I'm gonna go on ahead."

I shook my head. "Wait. What?"

"Yeah." He raised his hands above his head, stretching. "I've done what I came here to do. I'll be on my way."

The assassin fixed his glasses and took a better look at our astonished expressions.

"What?"

"But-" Tamashi started, only to be cut off.

"You thought I was staying? No. I'd like to get ahead of the curve, get stronger. This is a game of survival now. I don't want to be lacking behind."

"That's a bit selfish don't you think?" Akane asked.

Jyun shook his head. "No, I don't. I saved the people I wanted to save. That was the sole reason I tagged along." He said, looking around. I could tell he was wondering how what he was saying wrong.

With a sigh, I nodded my head. "You're right."

"Saito-"

"We can't force him to stay, Argo." I chuckled. "He's free to do whatever he wants."

Jyun smirked at Argo, slipping his hands into his pockets. "See?"

She harrumphed again, exhaling heavily. "Whatever. Just... don't die alright?"

"I won't. I'm resourceful." He said, looking up at the afternoon sky above.

The player turned and raised his hand in goodbye before a screen appeared and stopped him in his tracks. He paused for three seconds, before letting out a light laugh of his own. It was weird, and totally unlike him. Soon he pressed a button and the screen went away.

I noticed the pinging at the edge of my HUD (Heads-up Display). I snorted, lowering my eyes to the black-haired player's casual retreat.

"Gonna miss that man's dry witticisms."

"Huh... I surprisingly won't." Tamashi mocked astonishment, in which we all consequentially berated him.

"Oh hush you guys!"

"You're totally gonna miss him."

"Look he's crying."

"Oh. Don't cry Tamashi!"

"Yeah, you're not a _baby_."

"I'm not! Saito, Argo, cut it _out!_ "

 **5 minutes later**

We'd made it out of the forest, all of us taking a moment to stop and look at the distance. I placed my hands on my hips, taking in a deep breath of air and smoothly letting it out. Ren wasn't going to believe the story I had for her.

She was gonna be _so_ jealous!

"Hey, guys," Akane asked, looking back at the forest behind us. Her black eyes shook. "What about those dudes we left behind?"

Argo scoffed, rubbing her nose. "They'll be fine... at least until the end of the day."

"Right," Tamashi said, reluctantly patting the wolf's head attached to his hip. "Remember?"

"Ah... right." She reached behind her, rubbing her neck. I nudged her with my shoulder. "What happens to them, from now on, is up to them. They knew what they were doing."

She managed a nod. "Okay..."

I did the same. "Okay."

"Let's go then. I want to meet this Ren and Kirie Argo keeps talking about. Not to mention the handsome Heathcliff and Agil. Everyone sounds so cool and awesome!"

Tamashi grunted, crossing his arms. "Hardly... the Agil guy almost busted up my shoulder." He said, rotating the spot.

Argo and I immediately cracked up, holding our stomachs as we started forward.

"What?! Guys what?!" Tamashi hurried after. Akane and Irene sighed, smiling wearily at each other before following us back to the Starting City.

"Weirdos."

"You said it..."

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ACII Media Works and Yen Press. I only own my concepts and concepts)

 **HAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! TWO-TIMED!**

 **Remember to Read and Review! Love you guys!**


	9. The Meaning Behind Them

**_The Meaning Behind Them_**

 **November 7, 2022**

 **Floor 1**

 **Forest**

* * *

"Damn."

"Knew it. These three ain't worth shit."

A pair of players stood over three unconscious bodies within the First Floor forest. One wore a green shirt, brown eyes scanning the knocked out players behind a pair of glasses. He sighed, lifting the spectacles up with his fingers and massaging the bridge of his nose. Shouldered over his right arm was a small round shield, sheathed at his hip, a curved sword.

"Rosalia's not going to be happy about this."

"Pfft. You're telling me, Vern? She's gonna be pissed." The other one said. This one was also a man, in his early twenties presumably. On his head he wore a red bandanna, with a black shirt under his leather vest, sleeves cut out to reveal well-built arms. Strapped to his back was a one-sided battle axe.

"So who's tellin her?" He asked Vern, who groaned, shaking his head slowly. "I'll do it. Just... get these idiots out of here."

" _Got it_."

The axeman's words were strained as he picked two of them up in a dead man's carry, dragging the heavyset player by his ankles. He caught a teleport crystal his friend tossed over, and soon-with a flash of light-all four players were gone.

Vern sighed heavily, opening his menu with begrudged laziness and selecting the messenger icon. Soon he typed a quick message to someone.

"The 3 of them got duped. Girls are nowhere to be found."

He sent the message and waited for the reply, anxiously tapping his feet. Soon it came flying in, making a two-tone jingle to announce its presence.

Vern opened it up and his eyes rolled in their sockets moments later.

"Idiots... all of them! Do they not know the meaning of _coerce_? Meet up with the rest, we need to stay low until the next floor."

He rubbed the back of his head, closing the messenger and fetching a crystal for himself. Vern then raised it in the air, and with a roll of his eyes, stated his desired location. Soon another flash of light exuded from the spot, and he was gone.

 **Floor 1**

 **Town of Beginnings/Starting City**

* * *

"Rosalia... Hey, Rosalia. You okay? Hey."

"Hm?"

Raising her head, a black-haired woman looked up from her messenger, and around. Her violet eyes peered throughout the sanctuary until they landed on a set of emerald irises that stared back.

"Are you okay?" Sasha asked, reaching to pat the woman's leg. "You seem on edge."

 _'This bitch...'_ The woman thought.

Rosalia smiled nonetheless, shaking her head. "Oh don't worry, Ms. Sasha. I'm fine. Just very engrossed in your lessons about the herbs outside of town. Very enlightening."

The caretaker's face bloomed red as she sheepishly smiled. "Oh... well... thank you. I'm glad I'm able to depart what I know to people who're really taking this seriously. I just want to keep everyone safe."

Rosalia nodded. "I completely understand. You really care about everyone."

"She _really_ does. You should've seen her yesterday."

The raven-haired woman trailed her eyes up to bet met with reddish-orange ones. They twinkled amiably. It was a young lass, couldn't be older than 15, maybe 16. She had straight, shiny, light blonde hair that came down to her mid back, and a black long-sleeved shirt, with dark green shorts for her attire. Her footwear consisted of the normal beginner boots.

She smiled at Rosalia, forcing the woman to do the same.

"Hi, I'm Kirie. Nice to meet you." She said, extending her hand. Rosalia looked at the appendage and managed to raise her own hand and reciprocate.

"Same here. I'm Rosalia, and you're very beautiful..."

As begrudging as it was to say, the woman couldn't help but speak the truth. Kirie was nothing short of pretty. She raised an eyebrow, a sly smile crawling onto her rosy red lips.

"Wait, aren't you the girl who fought those guys yesterday? The one with the shield?"

Kirie's eyebrows bounced up, yet she smiled wearily. "Yeah, apparently news travels _inhumanly_ fast in this game." She said, righting herself and slipping a hairband off her wrist, doing her hair up into a manageable ponytail.

Rosalia's smile weakened a bit. "Hellcat, if I'm correct."

"Okay-" Kirie briefly fixed the hairstyle before asking. "Where did that come from? This whole Girl Wonder and Hellcat thing?"

Rosalia and Sasha looked at Kirie incredulously, before the former burst out laughing. "You honestly don't know? The popularity must _so_ congesting."

Kirie's smile persisted, but confusion sprouted itself. "What?"

The black-haired woman rolled her eyes. "The reason everyone's calling you _Hellcat_ is because you're the first girl in a game like this to ever pick up a shield, and actually know how to use it."

"W-what?" The blonde laughed. "How hard is it? Just hold the thing in front of you."

"Let me rephrase." Rosalia sighed. "You're the only girl in a game like this to ever _willingly_ pick up a shield, and actually know how to use it. Most of the girls in this game usually choose something flashy or suave, like a dagger or a rapier or something of the other." She flourished her hands to show the exaggeration.

"Plus, you defended all those kids, and you're a pretty girl. Really puts you in the limelight."

Kirie stifled her laugh, smiling and shaking her head. "So that makes me a Girl Wonder... what am I? A superhero...?" She rubbed her face. "Mmm."

Rosalia watched her look up and eye across the room, to a certain red-haired player. The young carrot top ran a lock over her ear, revealing her lightly-freckled face and immersive hazel eyes. She seemed to be talking to two other females.

Rosalia smirked grimly.

All these girls were just so damn good looking weren't they...?

"And what about Ren?" She asked, gesturing with her head to the young woman in question. "I get the Catty part, but not the hell addition."

Rosalia shrugged. "Rumor has it some drunkard the night prior was barking up a storm about obscure literations and such, apparently he was a philologist before he bought SAO. Soon he'd gathered a rather large crowd due to his antics, and brought up your red-haired friend there." She pointed at Ren. "Then he went off, rambling on about all different sorts of things like names and monikers until he reached the name "Hellcat".

"One of the guys in the pub screamed out "That's our Hellcat!" and the rest of the bar began to chant that for the rest of the night." Sasha chimed in. She smiled sadly, and Rosalia knew why.

"To be completely honest, it's not as chivalrous as your nickname Kirie, it came from a drunk, and the downtrodden residents of a sideways bar in the city somewhere, and somehow, it caught fire." Rosalia sat back, curving her back and accentuating her slender form under her navy blue, long-sleeved shirt.

"Nothing epic about it."

"Well," Sasha spoke up again, her smile lightening. "Apparently, Hellcats are spiteful and violent women. B-but I think the man coined the word as like, a testament to your unyielding personality and what not." She smiled as reassuringly as she could.

Kirie exhaled heavily. "I'll choose to go with the latter decision then. No need to dwell in dark thoughts right?" The girl flashed a smile at the older women, who looked at each other, before agreeing.

"You're definitely right, Kirie."

"Whatever you say."

Kirie placed her hands on her hips. "Right then, I'll be going, but I'm really glad about what you guys have done here? This "safe zone" idea is really great."

"Well it was Heathcliff and Agil's idea, but yes," Sasha smiled, looking around the cathedral at the bustling players.

"It came together very well."

Kirie smiled. "Yeah." She said, before starting away from Sasha, Rosalia, and the rest of the group. "Sorry for taking time out of your teaching, Sasha. And again, nice to meet you, Rosalia."

Rosalia smiled back, violet eyes focused on Kirie's retreating body as her mind formulated abstract schemes left and right.

 _'The Girl Wonder and Hellcat...'_ She sat back, smile ever widening. _'What an amusing duo.'_

"You seem to like her, Rosalia."

The woman turned to see Sasha's friendly smirk. Rosalia only chuckled. "But of course Ms. Sasha."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Kirie walked over, only to be greeted by Ren striding up to her. "Kirie! We're going brother hunting!"

"What?" The blonde twisted her face quizzically. "Brother hunt- did Tohru go missing again?!"

"No, no!" Ren laughed, waving away Kirie's astonishment. "I checked in with him, he's safe back at Misty Hills. No, a little girl lost her elder brother yesterday. She's been here since last night, waiting to ask us to help her look for him."

"Does she have him on her friend's list? Shouldn't be that hard to locate him."

"That's the problem," Ren said, her mouth forming a frown. "He deleted her off of it."

Kirie shook her head. "Wait, wait... What? Why in the world would he do that?"

"That's what we're going to find out." Ren rapped her knuckles on Kirie's leather chest guard.

"Alright... um... alright." Kirie managed, trying to make sense of all of this. "Okay, so just the three of us? Sounds alright. We can do it."

"Well, four of us. "Ren's smile widened as she moved to the left, revealing an approaching player.

"Hey, guys." The dark-skinned teen from before gave us a lighthearted wave. Tagging along beside her, a little girl-shorter than her by almost two feet-smiled at Ren and Kirie. She had on a long-sleeved green shirt, with a brown skirt and boots. The girl didn't have any weapons equipped.

"Hi everyone!" She said eagerly, forest green eyes peering up at the two friends. "I'm Mia, nice to meet you!"

"Mia?" Kirie's mind traveled to the little girl and her father. "You're not-"

"I know, it got me too." Ren laughed heartily. "Her name's also Mia. Crazy right?"

"Okay, Ren." The blonde grabbed her friend and excused the both of them as she pulled her off to the side.

"I hope you didn't promise her that _without a doubt_ that we'd be able to find her brother and figure out this whole thing..."

" _That's_ exactly what I did."

"What?!" Kirie whispered as loudly as humanly possible, shaking Ren. "Why in the world would you do that?"

"Because it's the truth."

"No, Ren. It's absolutely not the truth. We don't know if we'll be able to or not."

"Who're you to decide if we do or not? As long as we're determined enough, we'll definitely be able to find him. He's not dead, meaning he's somewhere on this floor, more than likely somewhere in this city. Mia knows his last location. We can start there."

"It's a huge city."

"We have lots of time."

"...ugh." Kirie dipped her head. "You make sense in the brashest of ways, you know?"

Ren only grinned, patting Kirie on the shoulder. "I know. Come on, let's find this girl's brother."

"We're just finding everyone, aren't we? We're like missing person reports."

"What's so bad about that? People believe in us." Ren said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms with an inquisitive smile.

"I'm just saying..." Kirie massaged the bridge of her nose. "Fame isn't always a good thing..." She said, her eyes darkening just like earlier. Ren noticed this and was about to speak up until the two girls appeared before them.

"So, guys. Uh, are we going?"

"Yeah, Axel-san and I are just waiting."

"Right... we're-"

"We're going." Ren grinned brightly, interrupting Kirie and looping her arm in between her friend's.

"Come on, Kirie. Let's go! We'll be back before the day's over!"

"I sincerely doubt that." Kirie mumbled being dragged along as the four of them headed out of the cathedral, and onto the streets of the Starting City.

As they exited, Ren asked. "So your name's Axel, huh? How come I didn't know that?"

"You never asked." Axel grinned, ruffling Mia's brown head of hair. The girl spoke up.

"And if Mia's not what you want to call me, I can always go by my name in here. It's Skies!" She grinned brightly up at the two of them.

Kirie stared at the little girl. _'What a sunny demeanor...'_

Ren smiled right back, addressing her. "Alright Skies. That's a pretty name."

"Thanks, so's Ren!"

"Aw, she's so cute!" The redhead merged over to ruffle Skies's hair, similar to Axel, who smirked quietly. The blonde sighed.

Here they were, on another wacky adventure that might just get them into serious crap again... Kirie adjusted the shield strapped to her back, making sure it was still there, before mentally preparing herself for the day ahead...

"Alright Skies." She said, giving the little girl a gentle smile. Her eyes traveled up to Ren, who nodded, beaming from ear to ear. Kirie gave up, there was no way she could compete with that.

The Girl Wonder reached over and squeezed Ren's shoulder-to which the redhead winced-and gave her a pointed look.

 _'Careful.'_ Her look said, subtly betraying the words that would carefully slip from her mouth.

"Let's go find your brother."

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ACII Media Works and Yen Press. We only own our concepts and concepts)

 **Sorry for the lateness! Finals!**


	10. Unbelievable

_**Unbelievable**_

 **November 7, 2022**

 **4:10**

 **First Floor Plains**

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

"So... Akane."

The day hadn't been a long one, at least not when compared to yesterday.

And yet, it was scary how much had happened. We'd foiled the plans of three evildoers-a complete exaggeration-and rescued four girls, including one who happened to be one of my closest real-life friends, Akane Fujioka.

Then, since it was just our luck, we were graciously blessed with the presence of the world's first Field Boss, «The Alpha».

Thankfully, we were able to defeat it, albeit barely. Even with all that health it'd lost, it was still a formidable creature. A part of me wondered... if the Field Boss was that tough, how strong was the actual Floor Boss?

"Yeah?" Akane said, turning her head to look at me. Her black eyes stared at me questioningly. Yet, at the same time, I could see some understanding in her expression.

I let out a short breath, gathering my thoughts.

"...how did you end up in here?" I asked, walking along the dirt path towards the Starting City. Tamashi, Irene, and Argo were up a few yards, having sensed the talk coming and collectively deciding to give us some space.

"How. Now that's a good question." She giggled, rubbing her arms. My friend raised her head to the sky, slowing her walk as a breeze past by, fluffing her raven locks and tickling her skin. I watched her, almost mesmerized.

I'd almost forgotten how pretty Akane was...

She circled around to face me, and I gazed back.

"I did it to surprise you actually."

...wait. What?

My eyes widened and my eyebrows rose. "What? What do you mean surprise me?"

Akane rolled her eyes. "You and Ichiru were always going on and on about this game. I wanted to see what all the hype was about, and plus," She put on a teasing smile.

"I wanted to see your face when I met up with you."

I smirked. "Wow." Then my eyebrows scrunched. "But wait. How would you know what my game ID was? I _literally_ made it up on the spot."

" _Yeah_ , that's where I was at a loss." Akane laughed. I did as well. "You're not usually this scatterbrained, dude."

"I know. I guess I was just so excited. I know I had that trip to Hokkaido tod- _oh my gosh_." Akane slapped both hands against her face.

"The trip's today!" She screamed. "Oh my god my parents are going to kill me!"

"Pfft, probably not, considering the circumstances..." I said, shoving my hands into my pockets. Akane's face softened, and her eyes lowered to the ground.

"Yeah... true."

"...Hey," I said, reaching to pat her back. "Don't worry about it. We've got each other now, right? We'll make it out of here, together." I gave her a reassuring smile, one which sher, after a few moments, managed to return.

"That's one thing about you, Toru." She said, reaching over and hugging me. "You always know the right thing to say."

I raised my arms, proceeding to hug her back, my smile pertaining. "Don't I?" I jested.

Soon we heard an "Aww" echo out in front of us, looking up to see Irene gushing over our display of affection. We both looked at her as she bounced up and down.

"Look bro! Argo! They're so _cayute!_ "

Tamashi rolled his eyes, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah yeah. Come on guys."

"Yeah lovebirds! Hurry up, Saito before I tell Ren about your little fling!"

My face quickly heated up and I released the hug, puffing out my cheeks. "The heck's that supposed to mean, Argo?!"

"Nothin!" She snickered, whistling soon after. "Come on guys, we're almost there!"

Tamashi nodded and tapped his sister's arm. The two jogged up to meet Argo, Irene turning and sending us a blue-eyed wink.

"Come on you two!" She giggled.

We both looked between each other and smiled, before following after them. It would only take a few minutes before we entered through the city's gates.

 **4:15**

 **Town of Beginnings/Starting City (Strener Avenue)**

 **Reiha (Ren) Takagi**

* * *

"How old are you, Skies?" I asked, bending my body slightly as we walked. She looked to me and I smiled in a friendly manner. She grinned back and skipped ahead two or three steps. The brown haired girl turned and put up one finger with her left hand, and three fingers with her right.

"Thirteen." Kirie smiled sadly. "That's so young..."

Skies nodded. "Yeah. But I'm okay! As long as I find my brother I'll be okay!" Her grin returned, sunny and warm. The youngster had failed to be anything but cheery since we'd met. She was always bouncing around, asking questions, and looking at the sights.

She acted as if we hadn't been trapped in a game against our will, like we weren't forced to fight our way out or die... And for some reason, I found a weird admiration for her because of it. She was always in high spirits, while others were downhearted and jaded, Skies was bright as ever.

I beamed, placing my hands against my hips as I followed the prancing girl. "You definitely will. Don't worry, once we find your brother, you both can stay at the Cathedral together and have lots of fun."

"Yeah!" She giggled. "I can't wait!"

Axel, the oldest out of all of us, had stayed quiet through our various conversations and antics. She only spoke up to ask what turn was coming up next, or what street we had to take. Kirie was still obviously not as excited as going as Skies and I were, but she maintained her composure and gentleness around the girl, which I was thankful for.

"Hey," The blonde spoke, hands clasped behind her back. We came to the end of the street and turned a left corner, entering onto a narrower road. "Skies, how does your brother look like?" She asked.

"Maybe we might spot him earlier if we know his general appearance."

"Good idea." Axel nodded, crossing her arms. She tilted her head. "That could help us out, Skies?"

"Right!" The girl hopped to a stop, turning around. Her menu followed her, opened to the map, with a red dot pulsing to show the last location of the player in question.

"Okay, so Akemic has like brownish-blonde hair. His eyes are brown, he gets that from mom. He also has this scar on is left cheek that goes down to his mouth. It happened from a childhood accident... but it doesn't look too weird! Girls seem to love him for it anyway."

"A scar? Okay, that would've been helpful info you could've shared earlier." Kirie stated offhandedly, crossing her arms. Skies winced and lowered her head. "Sorry, Kirie."

I frowned. "Kirie."

"What?" She shrugged her shoulders. Axel walked up and placed a hand on Skies shoulder, she squeezed reassuringly. "It's okay, Mia. You're fine. Now we know what to look out for."

"Right!" I quickly chimed in, smiling as encouragingly as possible. "Now we can find him easier."

And like that, Skies was bouncing on clouds again. "Okay, thanks, you guys!" She chirped. Kirie and I looked at each other.

We exchanged a brief, unspoken conversation before Kirie gave a heavy sigh. A smile found its way onto her lips and she shook her head.

"Not a problem, Skies." She said. I grinned. "Yup."

Skies smiled back and turned on the balls of her feet, skipping ahead. "Oh!" She exclaimed, stopping and turning. "It's just up there!" She said, pointing a building in the distance. The structure looked similar to the ones beside it, a steel-colored grey with plain windows and simple designs. It seemed to be a restaurant, from what I could see through the windows.

We arrived at the entrance, a single wooden door. The dot on Skies's map blinked brightly and pinged just as loud. There was no doubt about it, this was the place. Walking up to the door, I looked back at the group. They all gave me varying expressions, ranging from happy to concerned. I let a soft breath go, before placing my hand against the door and pushing open.

I was greeted by a woody smell, similar to fresh pine. It welcomed me in, and I took in the atmosphere of the small pub. There were wooden tables orderly placed around the large room. In the center was a dive bar surrounded by bar stools. It was dimly lit, but the sunlight from outside made sure that wasn't a problem.

The three girls walked in behind me.

"Not too shabby." Kirie remarked. Axel looked around and asked. "Hey, Mia. Do you see your brother?"

I searched around as well. There weren't that many people here. One girl sitting by herself, curled up into the corner of her seat.

A man slumped against the bar counter, snoring loudly with three empty pitchers of what I could only assume to be beer-or whatever the Aincrad equivalent of it was, nothing too out of the ordinary. Skies searched around, looking down at her map before raising her head again. She jogged forward, peeking into the various booths and such.

As I watched her near the back of the restaurant, my eyes trailed from her to the last booth. A single head had popped up, with tufts of brownish hair decorated in some weird style. I pointed across the room.

"Think that's him?" I asked.

Skies followed my finger to the booth I was aiming at. She hurried over, skidding to a stop and taking a good look at whoever it was. The three of us shared a glance before following after her. Suddenly she screamed.

"Brother!"

I smiled widely, running to meet Skies and stopping in front of her. "You found him?" I asked, looking to see who was sitting in the booth.

The man staring back tilted his head slightly. His hair was indeed a brownish-blonde in color, similar to Skies. The light of the flood lamp above accentuated his smooth skin, and his deep brown eyes peered at his sister's incredulously.

"Mia?"

"Brother, it's me!" Skies cried, running up and hugging her brother tightly. "I can't believe I found you!"

"Me neither." He mumbled, looking up to the three of us. Kirie and I exchanged a smile, as Axel slipped her hands in her pockets, staring at the scene with amusement.

"I was too scared to come look for you on my own." Skies said, loosening her hug a she turned to look at us. "But they helped me out."

"Hm." He said, turning his body to face us. That was when I saw it, the scar Alisa spoke of. It seemed to be his only blemish, on an otherwise attractive face. The scar went from his left cheek down to his lips and with every facial expression, it twisted and reformed itself. I couldn't help but stare, as the man exhaled slowly.

"Mia." He turned to her, taking a hold of her and gently pushing her away. "Why are you here?" He asked, his eyes switching between her, Kirie, Axel, and I.

Skies kept her smile, but her confusion was evident. "What... what do you mean, Akemi? I came to find you... so we could stay together." Her smile brightened. "You're my brother after all."

"And?"

The word cut through the light-hearted air, and a dense silence seeped in. My eyebrow rose. I opened my mouth to speak, however, Axel beat me to it.

"What do you mean _and_?" She gestured to Skies. "She's your sister. She came to find you."

"Yeah, dude." I chimed in, taking a step forward. "What's with you? Your sister came all this way looking for you. Aren't you happy?"

"I wouldn't say happy. More so, confused." He said, looking up to me. "Why did you bring her here?"

"So she could- what do you mean why?"

"A-Akemi?" Skies's tone wavered as her eyes shook. "What's going on?"

The man lowered his gaze to meet his little sister's. "Mia, I can't take care of you. This is our new reality. I can't have anything, or anyone, slowing me down."

As he spoke, Akemi's eyes were steadfast, and his expression didn't betray the words that came out his mouth. He was serious, and I couldn't believe it. Something in me was set ablaze, something snapped.

Suddenly, Akemi was hoisted into the air, the collar of his shirt balled tightly within my fist. I growled. "What the hell did you just say...? This is your sister! Your flesh and blood!"

"Ren!"

"Ren, please!" Skies pleaded, tugging at my shirt. "Don't hurt my brother!"

Akemi stared at me impassively, his brown eyes lazily looking over my features. He smiled, his scar wrinkling just a bit.

"You're quite pretty aren't you?"

My arm flexed, and my fist made for his face, only to be barred by Axel's grip. She swiftly pulled me away and held me back.

"Ren, what are you doing?" She asked as I wriggled in her grip. I was too busy being angry to hear her though.

"How can you say that?! That's your sister! Your sister!"

"Ren, calm down!"

Skies was crying, and Akemi didn't seem to care. He dusted himself off and flicked out his shirt. Soon his hands were in his pockets. "You're making a fool out of yourself."

"Ragh! Let me go!"

"Ren, _stop_!" Skies screeched, and the whole bar fell quiet. We all stopped our banter, looking to the young girl. She furiously tried to wipe her overflowing tears, hiccuping.

"B-brother... why don't you want me?" She asked through broken weeps. Akemi looked at his sister, and shook his head. He took a step forward and brought his hand to her head, ruffling her brown locks.

"It's not that I don't want you, Mia... It's that I can't have you." He said. Sobs wracked Skies's body and Kirie swiftly walked over wrapping her up in a protective hug. She gave Akemi an even glare, and the teenager tilted his head to her.

"What, you're going to try and hit me too?"

Axel had let go of me, and I dropped my arms. I didn't know what to do. I'd never heard of anything like this... what was going on? What was happening right now? How could those words come out of his mouth?

How...?

Akemi gave a deep sigh and returned his hand to his pocket. "Love ya sis." He said, the words dripping from his lips as though it was an afterthought. The man brushed past us and, without even looking, exited the pub.

There we stood, with the whole restaurant's eyes on us, and a heavy silence in the wake of our state of affairs. We all stood, collectively dumbfounded. What Akemi had done, what he'd said, his actions... They weren't human...

They couldn't be.

And yet... Couldn't they?

Yes, there we stood, Kirie hugging Skies tightly as the girl clung to the blonde with all her might, howling at the world as tears fell down her face. Dejectedly we stood, despondently, sorrowfully...

My body felt like it weighed a ton... and my mind fell blank. I didn't know what to do... what to say... how to act. All I could think of was one word... One word that summed up this roller coaster of despair.

 _'...Unbelievable...'_

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ASCII Media Works and Yen Press. I own only my characters and concepts.)

Again, sorry for the lateness!

[ **Comment Corner** ]

RainEStar3 (C. 7) - **Thank you! Yeah, hopefully, the views pick up. Have a great story to tell. I'm sorry if the chapter was confusing. Whatever you had trouble understanding I'll try to clarify if you could tell me. If not, I'll work hard to make sure my next chapters are more concrete and vivid.**

RainEStar3 (C. 9) - **Again, thank you very much, haha! That'll be the whole point of this series, merging what could've/should've plausibly happened in the LNs and Anime to what has already come to pass. Despite the cliche, I'm glad you're liking it so far. Looking forward to more reviews from you.**

 **Hope you guys like this chapter! Next one coming in two weeks! Look out for it :P**


	11. The Field Trip

_**The Field Trip**_

 **November 7, 2022**

 **6:28**

 **Misty Hills Tavern**

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

"Hey! We're home!" I shouted, opening the door to the lofty tavern. Walking in behind me, Argo and Irene looked around. We walked inside as Tamashi stretched his arms above his head, Akane quietly following behind. Two voices alerted me.

"Hey, Saito, Argo."

"How was it?"

Heathcliff and Holi had come back. They were both sitting at a table next to a window near the west end of the tavern. The two seemed to be leisurely speaking about the day's events. The beige-haired man fully turned and gave us a smile, Holi doing the same.

"Ah, I'm assuming well." He laughed, seeing Irene scamper up next to her brother. The girl gave a bright smile to the two.

"Hello. My name's-"

"Irene. I know." Heathcliff nodded respectfully. "Very nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Oh, stop it. No need to be so formal." Irene giggled, leaning back and sending Akane a wink.

"He's handsome, aye?"

My friend blushed and rolled her eyes, walking up next to me.

"Oh, and who's this?"

I looked over at her, and she stared back. "Well, this-"

"I'm Akane. One of Saito's friends." She said simply, bowing her head. "Thank you for coming to rescue us... we probably would've died if it weren't for you all."

Holi scrambled out of her tall seat whipping her hands about in a frantic frenzy. "Nonono! It wasn't us who went looking for you."

"Yeah." I huffed, crossing my arms. "It was _us_."

"Oh come off it." Akane righted herself and pouted at me. "I already thanked you."

"But _did_ ya?" I feigned thoughtfulness, tapping my chin. "Sorry, memory's a bit faulty from the skirmish earlier." I dropped the act, giving her an amused smile.

"Mind refreshing my memory?"

Akane deadpanned before a light glinted in her eyes. She gave an equally teasing smile.

"Okay."

The girl nodded towards Tamashi, putting on a genuine and innocent smile. "Thank you _so much_ for saving me, Tamashi. It means a lot. Without your strong leadership and wit, who knows what would've happened."

I swiftly opened my mouth to protest, but she moved on before I had the chance. "And Argo, your quick thinking and creative spirit was what got us off the ropes and made sure we kept the enemy on their toes. I can't thank you enough."

"Aka-"

"Oh, Irene! I haven't forgotten about you! Thank you so much for having my back and calming me down when I was freaking out. If it weren't for you, I would've lost my mind out there. You were a real lifesaver."

"Okay, how?" I was redder than a fire truck. But no, she didn't stop there. Akane looked up the ceiling, closing her eyes and holding her hands to her heart.

"And last but not least, thank you Jyun fo-!"

 _"Okay!"_ I yelled throwing my hands into the air. "I get it. God, _anything_ but that."

"Pfft." Tamashi chuckled. "I hear ya."

Holi, Irene, and Argo were all snickering, and I couldn't help but slap my hand to my face, dragging it down as dramatically as I physically could.

"Anyway, mission accomplished. Damsels rescued. Bad guys knocked out. Field Boss slain. Yay."

I grumbled inaudibly, finding a seat and parking my butt in it. Akane was always a bigger joker than I was, and she wouldn't let me forget it. I noticed her winning smile, and suddenly, it was my turn to pout.

A moment later and we heard descending footsteps. We all turned to see Kirie and Mr. Raika. The blonde's expression seemed to be split between worried and weary, Raika's wasn't much better. I raised an eyebrow.

Holi gave a heavy sigh. "How is she?" She asked Heathcliff, standing from his seat. Raika reached back to ruffle his hair.

"Well, we tried speaking with her."

"But she just isn't having it." Kirie groaned, taking the last step and finally noticing the rest of our group.

"Oh. Saito." She blinked.

I gave a nod and a small wave. "Hey," I said. My hand dropped soon after and I walked up to her. "By "her", you don't mean-"

"Ren, yeah." Kirie exhaled. "Something happened today, she's sort of down in the dumps."

"So she's okay?" I asked immediately after. Kirie looked up quizzically. "Y-yeah. Of course. Just a little shaken up"

Raika placed a hand on her shoulder, addressing me. "A little girl's elder brother abandoned her. Ren, Kirie and another girl were tasked with finding him."

"Oh." I could see why that would affect her. "And, the girl in question."

"She's alright," Kirie said, crossing her arms. "Axel, the girl we tagged along with, is staying with her at the Cathedral."

I nodded, eyes trailing up the stairs. "Okay," I said. My eyes lingered on the upstairs floor until I opened my mouth to speak.

"I'm gonna go talk to her."

Holi briskly walked up to us. "I will too. Or, at least I want to."

Kirie stepped to the side as Raika shimmied down the stairs. "Sure. She's upstairs with Tohru and Mia."

Holi and I shared a look, before nodding. I watched her quickly head up the steps, before turning and eyeing the group I'd walked in with.

Argo was talking with Heathcliff, probably about the situation that happened in the forest, Tamashi and Irene were there as well, being introduced by the cheeky info broker.

Akane was the only one that stood alone. She stared at me, asking me with her eyes.

 _'Who's this Ren?'_

I rolled my eyes.

 _'Long story.'_

Akane shrugged her shoulders and gave me a final glance.

 _'Mhm.'_

I watched her join the rest of the group in introductions, before giving Kirie and Raika a word of thanks and heading up the stairs. I hoped Ren was okay. Though, cheering up wasn't really on the agenda today, I could tell how something like this would shake her up.

As I reached the second floor, I neared the only open door within the hallway. Stopping in front of it, I hovered my hand over the knob. Breathing out, I gripped the knob and pushed open.

"Ren."

 **Reiha (Ren) Takagi**

* * *

"You seriously don't look okay." Tohru sighed, resting back against the room's sole, wooden desk. He tilted his head with a pout, eyes examining me.

"And I know my big sister. You always get _really_ quiet when something is really troubling you. Not like all the other times."

I stared at the floor. My hands were being used as play toys by Mia, her little hands moving them around as she danced along enthusiastically.

"Come on, Ren! Let's play!" She giggled, looking up at me with soft brown eyes. My eyes raised to meet hers, and I almost threw up.

Turning my head away, memories wracked my mind.

 _"It's not fair! We should be running after him! That's her brother!"_

 _"Ren! What are we supposed to do?! Have you beat him into submission?! We're not animals!"_

 _"But-"_

 _"No buts! ...We can't go busting open the heads of everyone we disagree with, Ren..."_

 _"..."_

"No..." I muttered, staring at my hands. "H-how could he do something like that?"

"Something like what, sis?" Tohru pushed off the desk and neared me. "You guys haven't told me what's going on! I wanna be in the loop too."

"N-no Tohru. It's okay." I said, raising my head and managing to give him a weak smile. "Just stuff."

He obviously wasn't having it, crossing his arms with an inquisitive frown. "Reiha, what's going on... Tell me."

He reached out and grabbed my shoulder. Mia had stopped playing with my hands, looking up at me worriedly.

"Are you okay, Miss Ren?" She asked innocently. I couldn't say anything to her... I couldn't do anything to reassure her, so I just looked away.

 _'They have the same name. What an irrational thing to shy away from...'_ I mentally chided, closing my eyes. More memories flooded in.

 _"Skies..."_

 _"It's okay." The little girl said. She raised her head, gifting us with an inhibited smile. Her expression betrayed her emotions, and the tears bubbling at the edges of her eyes were all the proof Kirie and I needed._

 _"I'll be fine..." She mumbled. "It's okay."_

 _The tears fell._

 _"Oh, Mia..." I felt my own tears rising, as I reached out to her. She shied away respectfully, giving us a tearful grin, before escaping inside the Cathedral._

I stared at the floor, Tohru and Mia's inquiries and worries falling on deaf ears. I needed to think. I needed to process. I needed to find out why... how something like that could happen? His sister was literally inches away... his own flesh and blood... and he just pushed her away.

I couldn't...

Never in my life.

The doorknob turned and my head tilted to the noise, my eyes following soon after. I was met with the entrance of Holi. I stared at the medic and she gave me a gentle smile.

Mia and Tohru flocked her, asking her a multitude of questions. However, she dipped down and asked them if she could have a few minutes with me. They both looked at each other, before reluctantly agreeing.

Taking Mia's hand, Tohru led her out of the room, leaving us two alone. The room was silent, an uncomfortable silence permeating the air.

I didn't know what to do or say. I simply stayed quiet.

"Can I sit?" She asked politely, tilting her head. I nodded and moved over for her. She took the opportunity and sat down next to me.

The silence continued for a while.

Then she opened her mouth. "Ren, it's not your fault."

My eyes shot open and my hands curled into fists. "Holi, you weren't there... You don't know what happened. I could've stopped him from leaving."

"But you shouldn't have." Holi looked to me. "He's his own person, Ren. You need to respect his decisions..."

"He left Skies there!" I yelled, turning and glaring at her. "He left her there to fend for herself! A little girl, couldn't be older than thirteen! He left her in a world as dangerous as this! He's her _brother!"_

"I know." Holi agreed, placing a hand on my knee and squeezing it. "I know..."

I sniffed angrily. "Holi... how is she supposed to take care of herself? How is she supposed to move forward knowing that her only brother doesn't _want_ her...?"

Holi's mouth quivered as she lowered her head. Her blue eyes scanned the floor, hard, until she raised it again, opening her mouth with an answer.

But before she could speak, the door opened once again.

In walked Saito.

"Ren."

I looked up and met his eyes. They stared at me blankly, devoid of any emotion. I don't think I even remember seeing his pupils. His whole expression was glazed over. He walked over, eyes switching to find a chair.

He grabbed it and flipped it around, popping a squat in the backwards seat and resting his arms against the top rail.

"What's going on?" He asked.

I shook my head slowly, about to ask why he looked like that until Holi spoke. "Well, you're just in time, Saito." She said, giving me a sullen smile.

"I was just about to tell her a story."

Saito raised an eyebrow, yet settled into his seat, switching gazes between the medic and I. Holi cleared her throat, covering her mouth with her right hand. Then she patted down her skirt.

"Okay... okay."

"What...? What is it?" I asked, stealing a glance at Saito, who also had confusion sprouting about his face. Holi laughed shakily. I looked at her and noticed she was shivering. She shook her head quickly.

"It's okay. It's nothing. I've just never told this story before, haha." She smoothed out her skirt again, enough to be seen as a nervous habit. I looked up as she cleared her throat again.

"Okay, so. When I was little, in elementary school- second grade, our class had decided to take a field trip to the Boston Children's Museum. It was an amazing place. I'd visited there with my parents earlier in the year, and I had a blast. But now, I was able to go with my friends. What could be better?"

Saito and I shifted in our seats.

Holi rocked back and forth once. "So anyway, we were all divided into groups of three, with one chaperone each. My parents hadn't come around this time, so my friend Grace's mom volunteered to chaperone us."

"The three of you." Saito chimed in with a nod. Holi did the same. "Yes, the three of us. The third member of our group was a girl named Julia. She was a sweet girl, curly golden locks, deep brown eyes, always smiling."

Her own smile portrayed her genuine feelings, and I knew this story was coming from the heart.

"Anyways, our teacher, Ms. Winchester was quite a lazy person. She didn't really like to put much effort into things. In all actuality, she was probably one of the most lackadaisical people I've ever met." She rolled her eyes.

"So, Julia had asthma and food allergies."

Saito's eyebrows rose collectively at her statement before his eyes narrowed. Holi smoothed out her dress for what seemed to be the tenth time today.

"I made sure I was aware of this and asked Ms. Winchester to be sure that she had the class emergency kit updated and ready, every day, about a week before the trip. She waved me away each time, telling me she already knew. That she didn't need a little kid telling her how to do her job."

Holi chuckled dryly, staring at the wall ahead of her. "If only she knew... The day of the trip, we all got together, Grace, Julia, and I."

I braced myself, clutching my pants. Holi leaned against the seat. "I asked her one more time before we got on the bus, just to make sure everything was okay. She only rolled her eyes at me."

Holi's head tilted downward. "We all sat together, the three of us. Having fun and talking about how exciting the trip was going to be. It was Julia and Grace's first time and I made sure to hype up their imaginations as much as possible. By the time we hit the highway, they were on the edge of their seats."

She shifted.

"Then, Jimmy, another classmate of ours, began offering Planters nuts snacks to everyone on the bus. He was a giving boy, always liked to share. Lunch, homework, time, anything. He was kind... Grace and I were talking up a storm and I wasn't paying much attention to Julia and the other students. I was the first in the seat, meaning I was closest to the window. Grace was in the middle and Julia took the aisle."

Another shift.

"That's when he offered her some."

I held my breath.

"Julia took a handful, thanking Jimmy and began munching happily. I tore myself away from my interesting convo with Grace, to see what was going on... only to see Julia wolfing them down."

Holi raised her hand, running it through her indigo locks. She laughed again. "When I tell you I moved so fast... I reached over Grace and slapped the remaining peanuts out of Julia's hands, crawling over the seat and screaming 'Spit it out, Julia! Spit it out!' I screamed for the teacher as Julia began to panic, spitting out the peanuts she hadn't eaten. But her allergies took a hold of her, and her throat seized up."

I brought my hand to my mouth, eyes widened as Holi continued. "I got her onto the ground and began shouting for the teacher. I remember Grace screaming at the top of her lungs... Ms. Winchester and the other chaperones came by. Ms. Winchester asked what'd happened and I hurriedly tried to tell her Julia was going into shock."

"How did you know?" I asked. Holi smiled. "My parents-heck my whole family is medically oriented. Several generations graduated from Harvard, a prestigious school within the US. Needless to say, I was sort of thrown into a lot of stuff at a young age."

Holi cleared her throat. "While Ms. Winchester was trying to find out what in the world was going on, I was yelling for the emergency kit. I keep remembering the blank faces of the chaperones... They just... stood there, not knowing what to do."

Saito moved a bit in his seat.

"Ms. Winchester scrambled for the bag, however she couldn't find it." The medic dipped down, her hands pushing against her face. "I cried and cried, I screamed wondering where this bag was. I looked at Julia's bloodshot eyes. Her face had gotten so puffy, she looked unrecognizable! Ms. Winchester came back and said she couldn't find it! She couldn't find it! The one thing I'd been pestering her about the whole week before the trip and she couldn't find it! She'd forgotten it!"

"Holi-"

Tears fell from her eyes. "It took the ambulance 30 minutes to get to us on the highway... And another 20 to get to the hospital." She sniffed.

"We didn't visit the museum. The bus took us back to school. It was a noisy ride, people asking if she would be okay, others crying. Grace... heh. I remember Grace hugging me, trying to tell me it was okay... That Julia would be fine. But I could tell she didn't believe it. The ambulance took too long... Julia fought for her life for _too_ long..."

I quickly moved closer, bringing Holi into a warm hug. "Holi..."

The medic cried in my arms, clutching onto my shirt as if for dear life. "I kept thinking...! Over and over! This is my fault! I should've been faster! I should've brought an EpiPen! I should've called her mom or something!"

"It wasn't your fault," I said tearfully, rocking her. "It wasn't!"

"I know, Ren! I _know_...!" She cried. "But it felt like it was... Like I was the only one in the world who could've stopped it from happening, and I failed..."

Saito stared at us both quietly, eyes beginning to regain their luster. "Julia... she died."

Holi stopped crying, only to continue, even harder...

I shook my head, lowering it to rest against Holi's. "I'm sorry... I'm _so sorry._.." I cooed woefully. The room was filled with Holi's sobs for a few more minutes, and Saito and I both let her. It seemed as though she'd been holding this in for a while...

 _"It's okay. It's nothing. I've just never told this story before, haha."  
_

I shook my head.

 _'_ _Holi...'_

It took some time, but she calmed down, wiping her tears with her sleeves and trying to appropriate herself.

"I'm sorry. It's... it's been-"

"Don't worry."

"Don't worry."

We said in tandem, giving her both assured expressions, ones that she duly appreciated. She finished drying her tears.

"It's not your fault, Ren." She muttered, raising her head and giving me a red-eyed stare. I did the same, and we stayed like that for another second.

"Life's just like that sometimes. It kicks your butt... But you gotta kick back, or it's going to bully you for the rest of your days." She smiled, rubbing the last of her tears away.

"So let's fight until we can all get out of here. For Skies... and yeah..." Her smile softened. "For her brother as well."

My eyes shook as I stared at her.

'So strong...' I thought, lowering my head and gazing at the floorboards. I dug my heel into the floor and gripped my pants, taking in a deep breath.

She was right.

If Skies was strong enough to not let this break her, I had no excuse throwing a tantrum.

I craned my sight over to Saito, only to see him smiling cheekily.

"Glad I didn't have to say anything." He said _"all-knowingly"_ slipping out of his chair and flipping it around again. He smoothed out his clothes and stuck a hand in his pocket, the other waving us over.

"Come on, we've expelled the designated amount of bodily fluids for the day. Time to meet some friends of mine, get some food in our bellies, talk about stuff- mainly how I killed The Alpha-and catch some shut-eye."

He walked towards the door and opened it with a turn of the knob, looking over his shoulder with a playful glint in his eyes, before exiting the room. I could hear his feet clacking down the stairs and if I strained it a little more, my Listening skill would pick up the sound of clamoring voices.

"Looks, like he did it." I sighed, falling back against the bed with an exhausted sigh. "He's so annoying."

Holi chuckled and patted my leg. "I know. But he's right. Come on." She said, promptly standing to her feet and turning to me, offering her hand.

"Let's meet our new friends."

Her warm smile affected me in some way, and I felt myself push off the bed and take her hand. Together we walked out of the room, and simultaneously, took one deep breath.

I looked at her, she looked back, and we both broke into affirming smiles. This was an obstacle, and we needed that talk to break through it.

Now, we could focus on moving forward.

As we headed down the stairs to meet Tamashi, and-I'm assuming-his sister, a single thought penetrated through all the others, and I stopped.

"Wait a minute..." My eyebrows flew up.

"Saito killed The Alpha?! What the f-!"

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ASCII Media Works and Yen Press. I own only my characters and concepts.)

Late Again!

[ **Comment Corner** ]

flo463 (C. 10) - **Wow, thank you so much! Means a lot to hear that actually. I'm trying to make this story as authentic as possible for those who happen to stumble upon it and I'm so glad that this is what you're gathering from it so far. I hope I get to see more of your thoughts in the coming chapters!** **Don't worry though, Kirito will make a few cameos here and there.**

 **Next one in two week guys!**


	12. Two Sides of the Same Coin

_**Two Sides of the Same Coin**_

 **November 8, 2022**

 **6:20 AM**

 **Town of Beginnings/Starting City**

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

"Nnnnnnnnnghyaaaaaaaaa..."

"Jesus. Cover your mouth, Sai-bou."

"My bad... It's so early though."

It was indeed, _way_ too early to be up. A light mist had flowed into the Town of Beginnings, and the air was comfortably chilly. Argo and I had decided the night before to come up with a plan on how to deal with the non-warriors.

Like the name suggests, Non-warriors were essentially aesthetic players or those who didn't invest their skill points into offensive skills, opting for recreational ones, such as «Cooking», «Sewing», «Fishing», etc.

The only thing was, I didn't know we were leaving this early... I rubbed my eyes, another yawn escaping my body.

"How're you so uppity? It's like six..."

Argo skipped around to see me. "I went to sleep early. Duh." She said, rolling her eyes as if to further accentuate her annoyance. I pouted and my eyes took the same circular path. Soon they were looking around.

"So the second safe zone is where again? The Marketplace?"

"Yeah. We've set it within the center, allowing more people to flock to it. So far it's our largest zone, second only to The Palace."

I smirked, jogging up next to her. "I like these codenames. Feel like a government official or something."

"Well, hopefully that exuberance lasts the rest of the day. We're here." She said, fixing her poncho. I looked ahead, noticing a plethora of movement a few meters away. Past the arched underpass in front of us, dozens of players were moving back and forth. Varied voices clashed with each other, creating cacophony of sound that, to be honest, hurt my ears.

"Gah... It's too early for this."

"I swear to god, Saito, say the word "early" again and I'll snap."

Apart of me, small and insignificant as it was, felt an immediate need to speak the currently forbidden word. Better judgement chose against it, however. Rolling my eyes, I followed her as we entered through the archway.

"Woah." I breathed, taking in the scene before me. Unlike the sounds heard earlier, my ears didn't betray my suspicions.

This place was busy.

Players were running back and forth, carrying various boxes of items. Trade menus were open things were being sent from one person to another. The Marketplace was essentially an immersion of players and NPCs.

As we headed further in, Argo explained to me how players used the NPCs as stepping stones to help them learn the basic ways of trading, selling, and buying items, as well as using the options given by the merchant NPCs to your advantage.

For instance, instead of simply "Selling Your Items", you can instead choose the option of "Recycling" them, which simply breaks down the item into its base materials, which could be attributed to other things like armor or even other weapons.

Sword Art Online also follows a ranking system. The list is as follows, from least to greatest: D-Class, C-Class, B-Class, A-Class, S-Class

At the same time it also works with the other ranking style used in most other games: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Ultra Rate, Legendary.

Using a coloring system overtop of this, players are able to easily discern what is what. Respective of the classification lineup, the colors follow as: White, Green, Blue, Orange, and Purple.

Even though this information was helpful, it wasn't really needed, since we were still trapped on the first floor.

Essentially, everything here was either white or (very rarely) green. The Head of the Alpha was a C-Class item, or Uncommon, and within its inventory, it would be highlighted green. However, instead of that particular item, we all had undesirable gear.

"Alright, where is he?" Argo mumbled slipping past a passers-by. I inched away from the hurried individual, letting him glide on by as I kept up with her.

"Who're we looking for?"

"Red hair, wannabe beard, six foot or so."

"Huh." I looked around, walking up beside her. "I don't see-"

"There! Come on." She said, grabbing my wrist and leading me on. "Alright, alright. I have feet ya know."

"Well start using 'em, he's over there."

Extending her free hand, Argo pointed over at the scruffy looking man. His head was tilted slightly in our direction, just enough for me to make out his five o'clock shadow, and red hair, a red and gold headband adorning his head.

The man's eyes were narrowed as he looked over the proceedings within the small, stone building.

I raised an eyebrow. _'What's going on in there...?'_

Soon we reached the doorway, and Argo bumped up against the man. "Hey, Klein. Sup dude." She whispered.

The redhead turned his head and saw who it was, greeting her with a wry grin. "Hey, Argo. How's it goin?"

"Fine, fine. We heard there was some stuff goin on."

"Take a look." He said, arms folded with a motion of his head towards the situation. Argo let go of my wrist, walking into the building, and I soon followed after. Quickly, the clamoring outside deafened in comparison to the two players within the room, surrounded by four other players.

The two were bickering, loudly. I'm surprised I didn't hear it out In the street. Must've been the acoustics or something.

"Ya always bring dis bullshit out at da worst moments, Ashley!"

"What do you mean worse moments?! I saw your guys out there, Kibaou! You need to stop treating us like we're lower than you!"

"Since when did we say that?! Your off ya damn rocker!"

"Actions speak louder than words buddy!"

"Alright alright...!" A weary voice interjected from the south corner of the room. Stepping into view, the tired figure of a man produced itself. He wore a red bandanna which covered most of his head-save for the tufts of black peeking out from behind-and an indigo long-sleeved shirt. The Beginner Pants and Boots adorned his lower half.

He stroked his short, twin-tailed mustache. "You guys have been at this for hours."

"Dynamm, come on dude. Ya really can't believe we're actually putting _down_ these people." The man named Kibaou said.

This one was an oddball. His head was literally shaped like an orange cactus. I promise. If I could take a picture I _so_ would.

Despite the odd hairstyle, the man was solidly built, with a tan-long sleeved shirt and the same lower garments as this Dynamm character had.

From the way he spoke, you could hear the Kansai dialect clear as day. Needless to say, I'd avert my eyes if I walked passed him in a Tokyo subway station.

"I never lie." The woman across the table said, looking at Dynamm. "And you know that."

Now she was a beauty. What's with that? Did every hot girl in Japan just suddenly decide: "Hey, you know... This gaming thing? Might be fun."

It was crazy. I'd met at least four gorgeous females in this game. Four! What the hell?! Seriously the math isn't adding up! Fortuna I have words for you!

...ahem.

Ashley was a stunning beauty. Short, curly, Two-toned hair and resonant eyes. It was obvious she was wearing makeup and a heavy amount of it at that. I couldn't help but think she'd look like a completely different person under it all.

But hey, that's just me. Either way, at this point in time, she looked gorgeous.

Dynamm looked at her for a good few moments, more or less ogling her after a few seconds. He cleared his throat, at which I snorted silently, and clapped his hands.

"Look, Kibaou." He turned to cactus-head. "Just tell your men to lay off the demoralizing slander. I've heard it myself a few times. It needs to stop."

"Wait, wha-?"

"Hmph." Ashley wore a proud grin and watched as the red-faced brute growled, sending the woman a vicious look as he stomped towards the door, making sure to shove everyone in his way like they'd all given him the dirtiest of looks.

Which... I mean, I wouldn't put it past 'em.

"Ugh... men." Argo whispered. I turned just in time to see her roll her eyes. Shrugging my shoulders, I watched the other four members head for the door, including Dynamm. The man noticed us and quickly reformed his expression.

"Oh! This is the Saito that Agil was talking about. The Mediator. The Peacekeeper. The-"

"Haha, no no. No one calls me that." I laughed, taking my hands out of my pockets and waving them in front of my face.

"Just Saito's fine." I smiled.

The man looked me over with a smirk. "Right, got it." He said, holding out a hand. "Glad you're helping us nerds out." He grinned.

I took his hand and shook it. "Come on dude, we're all nerds."

Dynamm laughed. "Aren't we?"

Patting my shoulder, the man gave Klein a knowing nod, before slipping past and out of the door. I watched him go as my ears picked up the introductions happening behind me. I soon picked up the words:

"-and this is Saito."

Turning my head, my eyes landed on a closer picture of Ashley. She gave me a warm grin, one which I couldn't help but awkwardly reciprocate.

"H-hey there."

"So you're Saito, huh."

"That I am." My smile weakened a bit. "And you're Ashley."

"The one and only."

We looked at each other for a bit longer, before she backed up. My hands found their way back into their pockets as she spoke.

"You look tired."

"Well, I am."

She laughed. "But it's like half past six!"

" _Exactly_ ," I said, followed by a well-timed yawn. "Who gets up this early?"

"Me, and every other early bird, sonny." She grinned.

Klein interjected our little conversation with a chuckle. "Heh, you guys could go back and forth like that for hours If I let ya, huh?"

"Could we?"

"No idea."

"Wanna try?"

"Too tired."

"Right." She turned and motioned to the table, and then looked up to Klein. Argo waddled over to me, her arms crossed under her poncho. The redhead ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, you and Argo came all this way, might as well tell you the reason." He said, waving us over as he walked towards the wooden table.

"Take a seat, guys."

 **Roughly 10-15 minutes later**

"Wow," I mumbled, scratching my head. "Out of everything that's happened the past two days, I'd actually forgot to factor in something this obvious."

"Well, you kinda did." Argo chimed in, swishing around a glass of warm milk within her left hand. "It's just the cluster of things we've been bombarded with that kept us off track."

"Right." I sighed, crumpling up into a comfortable ball against the table.

Basically, to make a long story short, it was "Players who wanted to fight their way out literally vs. Players who'd rather not risk getting themselves killed".

Basically the ones who've resolved to go out and fight the "creatures of darkness" and "save the damsel in distress" are looking down on the players who they think are too scared to fight alongside them, when in fact, they just don't want to get involved directly, and would rather help using non-combatant methods.

Honestly, they were two sides of the same coin. Without one, the other wouldn't really work. But at the same time, this was a game. They could use the NPCs as a surrogate middleman maybe.

I didn't know, I was too tired to be making such complicated, earth-shattering decisions.

Ashley looked over her well-done nails, crimson in color.

"We've been dealing with this for a while." Klein sighed, rubbing his face. "Every since yesterday morning. Arguments have been sprouting between these self-proclaimed players and the accused "non-players".

"Now that's just rude," Argo said with a pout. "Just because I don't like or need to get my hands dirty in order to help my fellow Aincradian citizens doesn't mean I'm not a player."

"Right?!" Ashley exclaimed, spreading her arms wide as she re-crossed her legs. "What type of degrading horse crap is that?! Give me a sewing kit and I'd show them. All of them! The mongrels..."

"Seriously, such boys..."

"Eheh, well I'm sure both men and women are doing the same thing," I said as delicately as I could at such an hour, raising my hands to show I came in peace.

"We can't just subject this situation to one gender alone."

Klein's eyes twinkled as I took notice of them, and he gave an almost impossibly unnoticed nod in my direction as if to say _"Fricking thank you!"_

Argo glared at me. Though, instead of opening her mouth to berate me, the girl simply took a big swig of her milk.

Ashley sighed and moved on from her rant. "Anyways, can I go now? I have some things to do."

"R-right." Klein said, stood up, letting the fashionable lady head on out. She gave me one last look, one which I returned. We stared at each other for a moment, before she smiled and flipped her hair, walking out of the building.

"Hehe, interesting." I heard her say before she left.

Seeing her leave, Klein then deflated. "Why do the pretty ones have to always be the most demanding?"

For the sake of my life, I didn't respond, slipping down in my seat. Argo gave Klein an impassive look, and he quickly went to fix his statement.

"N-no! I-I mean like... it's just...! Saito, my man, you know what I mean! Right?!" He pleaded, his eyes clinging onto mine like a lifeline.

I dipped even farther in this seat. "So does this place sell tortilla chips or..."

"Saito-aaaa!"

A minute of deathly scolding from Argo later

"Alright. So, what should we do?" She harrumphed, crossing her arms. Klein sat dejectedly in his seat across from us, twiddling his thumbs.

I lowered my head against the table and closed my eyes. Let's see. Like I said before, we could use the NPCs to act as a substitute if worse came to worse, but we needed to find a way for these two growing sides to coexist peacefully, without going for each others throats.

After about 30 seconds of silence, I suddenly rose up, shaking away the sleep from my eyes. Klein looked at me incredulously.

"Did you pass out?"

Argo raised an eyebrow. "Really? Sleeping on the job, dude?"

"Oh put a sock in it," I grumbled rubbing my eyes. "Also, I think I have a plan."

Klein's eyes lit up. "Really?!" He scooted up in his seat. Argo's expression went from confused to intrigued.

"Oh really?"

"Mhm," I said, looking around for a waiter or waitress.

"But first-" I flagged one down. "I need a Koolaid-man sized coffee, and like a big bag of oven-baked potato crisps."

My stomach grumbled as I grunted.

"I'm starving."

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ASCII Media Works and Yen Press. We own only our characters and concepts.)

And again with the lateness haha _crais_

[ **Comment Corner** ]

RainEStar3 (c. 10) - **Ah, I see. That makes sense. There were a lot of skills flying off left and right that I could see how my writing sort of dulled the rest of the descriptions and whatnot. I'll definitely work on that. Also, thank you for your consistency in reviews. Means a lot. And thank you! I've been working on Saito for a while now. Hopefully, I can further portray this in future chapters.**

 **Two weeks for sure this time!**


	13. Deal?

_**Deal?**_

 **November 8, 2022**

 **6:20 AM**

 **Town of Beginnings/Starting City**

 **Reiha (Ren) Takagi**

* * *

"Otouuuu-to!"

Landing right on his stomach, my brother was awoken in literally the worst way possible. Scrambling out of his sleep, the kid would watch me hop off as he rolled off the bed.

"Gah!"

Bam!

He rolled, grabbing at his head. "Ack! Sis come on!"

I laughed. "Hahaha, oh my god."

During my fit, I heard him growl and slam his hands on the floor. Shifting his weight and swiveling his body around, his legs whipped about, whacking into me and, with a clean follow through, I was knocked right off my feet.

"Woah!"

Thud!

The room shook once as I groaned. "Owww."

It was his turn to laugh, and trust and believe he did.

"Serves ya right!" He managed through the mirth.

I grunted and rolled my eyes, standing to my feet. "Whatever. I don't know why you're waking up so late anyway. Have dad's drills still not sunk after all these years?"

Tohru rolled his right shoulder and snorted. "You think dad's morning routines are on my mind right now? That's literally the last thing I need to be worrying about, Reiha."

"You don't get it." I sighed, Bending my legs as I slowly descended to the left, in a warm-up stretch.

"We have to always be on top of our game. We don't know what this world's gonna bring us. Whether monsters, other players, it doesn't matter. We need to be able to move like our life depends on it." I said, sending him an even stare.

"Am I making sense?"

The boy let out another yawn and fell back against his bed. "Yeah yeah... Come on it's like five in the morning, sis. Can't this wait until later?"

"No," I said, raising up and walking over. I grabbed his left ankle and pulled him off the bed. "Now, kid. Thirty minutes every morning."

Tohru kicked my hand off and stood back up, albeit somehow even more groggily than before. I shook my head, raising my eyes to the ceiling.

"Hey."

I lowered my head. "Yeah?" I asked, looking at him. Tohru had his right hand in the pocket of his shorts, the other rubbing the back of his head.

"Are you alright? You know... from yesterday." He said, looking up, those hazel eyes peering at me. There was a hint of dejection in there, and there was no way I wouldn't see it. There was no way he wouldn't let me.

"I heard crying."

Those three words were enough.

Walking forward, I took a heavy breath, wrapping my arms around my brother and bringing him into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

Tohru burrowed his head against me. "..."

I smiled solemnly at his silence, running my right hand through his sable locks. "I promise, kid, I'll tell you when anything's on my mind," I said, releasing my hug and placing my hand on his shoulders.

He looked up to me and gave him a wry grin. "No matter what it is."

Tohru gave a pout. "You better." He mumbled with another eye roll, pushing my hands away. "Alright... so what was this about thirty-minute hell sessions?"

I laughed, slapping his back. "Come on, help me move this stuff. We're going through locks and holds."

"Oh _great_." he sardonically responded, beginning to move a chair out of the way.

"Love morning people."

"Pfft."

 **Satoru (Saito) Narita**

* * *

"That's your plan?"

"The Trade System?"

Klein crossed his arms, mulling over the idea quietly. Argo took another sip of the glass of milk, eyebrows raising. She gulped down the drink and set the glass down, wriggling her nose. I had the urge to tell her she had a milk mustache, but I refrained.

This joke was too good to pass up. Instead, I stuck my hand back into my "industrial" sized bag of disgustingly bland potato chips, pulling out a handful and stuffing my face.

"It could work." She said, wiping her mouth, the remnants of my cleverly scrutinized next words fading away with it.

"Mhm," I said closing my eyes and sending another handful towards my mouth. Argo spoke up.

"So how do you plan to use the Trade System?"

I stopped my hand from shoving the chips into my mouth, slowly lowering them back into the bag, all except for one. I popped that little sucker into my mouth and chomped it up.

"Think about it, Argo. The trade system is literally that, a system implemented to trade items, whether weapons, armor, or food and potions. It has no bias, not unlike other things in this game."

I fluffed out my bag and settled back into my seat. "If we get both sides to accept that they can do more together than apart, using the trade system as a catalyst, it'll be easy sailing from then on."

Klein sighed. "Though it seemed like just a simple disagreement between two people, Saito, the situation's actually much worse. There are actual sides now. People are choosing whether to be for the "Players", or the "Non-Players". It's crazy, and if it doesn't stop-"

"We could be seeing a city-wide division." Argo finished with a sigh, shaking out her curly head of Auburn.

"Sai-bou, you sure this gonna work?" She asked, looking up over at me. I leaned forward, resting my head against my propped up hand.

"I have no idea. But this is the best I've got right now. We should try it at least." I said. I watched as Klein stood to his feet.

"Well, let's gather everyone then." He said looking towards the door. "No reason prolonging this, right?"

I looked up at him for another moment or two, hearing Argo get up behind me. I then dropped my eyes to the table.

"Right."

 **10 minutes later**

"Man. This is high," I mumbled, looking behind me at the water-filled fountain. Eyeing the immaculate sculpture. It depicted A large stone sword, embedded within the center, with two angel wings spanning out on either side. At the base were the frozen depiction of waves. Openings were cleverly crafted within these waves, spitting out never-ending streams of water.

Standing on the ground, at a comparatively lower height, Klein had his hands cupped around the sides of his mouth, gathering together the multitude of safe-zoners within the middle of the Marketplace. I watched them all hesitantly merge together, and off the bat, I could tell who did and didn't like each other.

If I had a piece of chalk I could draw a line right down the middle of the crowd. The tension was in the air, I could feel it.

In the foreground I could see both Kibaou and Ashley on their respective sides, they were staring at us weirdly, mainly me, considering I was standing on top of a fountain. Seriously, how vain was I?

Do you know how early it is?

Too early.

"Alright, guys! I've brought you all here today to deal with a very important situation that's been a concern for most people these past few days."

The crowd exploded into a mix of murmurs and groans.

He gestured up to me. "This is Saito, a friend of mine who's come here today with a proposition for you all. Could you kindly hear him out? I'm sure what he has in mind can resolve all of this."

"Pfft." Kibaou crossed his arms. "I doubt it. Who's dis kid anyway?"

"Would you shut up and let him speak?" Ashley harrumphed, rolling her eyes. Kibaou growled and stomped his foot, cranking his head over to her.

"What'd you say?"

"You do have _ears_ right?" She retorted.

The orange cactus spit at the ground. "Ya talk a big game but ya can't back it up, Ashley-chan."

Ashley sent him an even glare, "Why I oughta..."

It didn't take long for the two sides to start arguing, and it was probably around about the seventh verbal jab that I decided enough was enough.

Rolling my eyes, I stuck both of my pinky fingers in my mouth and blew. A shrill whistle swelled through the air and, soon enough, everyone had calmed down.

"Jesus. Come on, guys." I sighed, shaking my head. "I get it. There're disagreements. Heck, there are full-blown accusations. But I'm here to tell you that you guys can coexist. It's possible. Humans have been doing it for years."

"Was dat last part a joke, bub?" Kibaou edged, raising a bushy eyebrow and pouting his lower lip. I nodded.

"Indeed it was. And you're Kibaou I'm assuming." I said with a head-tilt. Orange cactus harrumphed.

"Whatever."

I smiled wearily, before returning to the rest of the crowd.

"You guys are all familiar with the trade system right? Trade an item for this world's currency, Cor. Just like the good 'ol Yen, or dollar for my western friends."

I began to walk atop the fountain, back and forth, so I could clearly see everyone's faces.

"You guys have been using the NPCs as a sort of proxy, and I absolutely get that. But here's the thing, you don't need them." I grinned.

Raising my hand, I aimed my pointer finger at one of the players on Ashley's side, a blue-haired girl with red-rimmed glasses.

"You, miss. What would you like to specialize in?"

"E-eh?" She looked around as if she'd seen a ghost, face paling. "Uhm... uh... I wanted to be a tailor."

Almost immediately, another scruffy looking man with dark hair and a scowl on his face yelled. "You see? How's a tailor going to help us?! We need manpower! Not a bunch of pansies who don't want to fight!"

Kibaou and the rest of his side roared, and the arguing resumed... At this point, my patience was reaching a _point_. It was about the time Kibaou said: "SHUT UP YOU NON-PLAYERS DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

...that I snapped.

Doing the same as before, the whistle erupted the air with its high-pitched presence. However, even as the crowd had gradually quieted, I kept going, whistling as loud as I could and as hard as I could for another two or three seconds.

When I removed my fingers from my mouth, the words simply came out of me.

"GODDAMMIT!" I yelled. "IT IS WAY TOO EARLY IN THE MORNING FOR THIS! ARE YOU GUYS ALL THAT BLIND?! HAVE YOU NEVER LIVED IN A WORKING-CLASS ECONOMY BEFORE?! WHAT ARE WE?! ANIMALS?!"

I huffed and puffed, and took me a while to get my anger down to a manageable degree. "Seriously. I literally have to tell you guys what to do in order for you to know how to get along? Yes, Kibaou. That was a fricking joke." I crudely addressed his earlier question for the second time.

"It was a joke because this whole situation's just one big joke. Are you serious? Non-players? You've actually got to be kidding me."

A voice within the crowd heckled at me. "And what in the hell do you know?! You're just a kid! Shut u-"

"I am just a kid. You're _damn_ right." I growled, shoving my finger at the ground. "A kid who, yesterday saved a girl from almost dying at the hands of testosterone driven, entitled, alpha males like you."

The crowd proceeded to ooh and ahh, but I continued regardless. "You guys need to stop. Seriously. Here. Me. Out. If we don't get through this together, if we fall apart now, then we'll be stuck in here forever... And I know each and every one of you at least has _someone_ in the real world that you'd like to see again. Am I right? Or not?"

The silence that followed was my answer. I took a deep breath. "Okay, then." I gestured towards the young lady with the glasses.

"She wants to be a tailor. Instead of _running_ her through with pitchforks, why not hear how that can be beneficial for both of you. Sir, what rank is your chest plate?" I asked, pointing to the heckler.

He looked flustered, but I urged him with a nod. He gave a muffled response, one that a player next to him clarified to me.

"He said Common. White."

I nodded, and with my head motioned over to the tailor-to-be. "Think about it. If you're out there hunting all this good stuff, these nice items, maybe wolf's fur, or boar's hide. Since you're a warrior, you can't do anything with that. Maybe it can be used for some side quest or something, but anything else? Not likely."

I grinned again. "And that's where she comes in. Sure, an NPC could make something for you, but they're programs, they're jailed by the code of the system. Meaning they can only make a certain thing at a certain level, a certain amount of times, for a certain price. And, usually, these circumstances are final."

I raised my other hand. "On the flip side, and dare I say, better side, you have a player, just like you. That's already an advantage. A player advantage. Her skills and options improve and expand with every moment she pours SP into her «Sewing» skill. Meaning."

"She could give you better armor on this floor than an NPC could if she invests her skill points, that is," Klein said with a nod.

I pointed at the man. "Exactly. Do you see? Same goes for any and everyone. I know you've tasted the food in those taverns and pubs. It's less than favorable. Imagine if someone trained their «Cooking» skill high enough and distributed out to the warriors out there. You guys would have full tummies and satisfied taste buds, while the dude would be making a good buck or two."

I moved back onto the topic of battle. "Same thing with a blacksmith. Let him hone his craft, and you'll see. He'll be creating blue and orange ranked armor on _this_ floor if you guys let him."

I breathed. "What I'm saying is. Not everyone has to go out and "fight the good fight" so to speak. Everyone's specialized in something. Maybe they don't like the risk of death, and that's absolutely fine. It is their lives, who are any of us to judge? The fact is, they're working just as hard as you guys are. Farmers can grow crops and share with the warriors for a cheaper price than those NPCs you see around the way. And, at the same time, you guys will be on the front lines, knowing that you have a solid support system to come back to when you need to."

I balled my hands tightly into outstretched fists. "We need to stand together. Or we're going to fall, and fall hard... We can't risk that. We can't revert back to the stone age. We're better than that. I know we are. Heck." I laughed. "We're inside a virtual reality. All context aside, how fricking advanced is that? Stupidly so."

I took a precarious step back, remembering there was a whole pool of water behind me. "So, what do you guys think? Deal?"

I looked around, gauging the looks of everyone, whether they were on Kibaou's side or Ashley's, I could care less. I just need them to know they could work _together_.

"Yeah..." Kibaou said with a single nod, raising his head and crossing his arms. "I get it."

Ashley managed a wry smirk, placing her hands on her hips. "Same here."

A smile bloomed on my face, and I clapped my hands together, rubbing them happily.

"Nice."

 **8:00 PM**

Questions were asked and answered, and by the end of the day, the beginnings of what would be known as the elaborate «Player Trade System» or «PTS» would be established.

On our way home, Argo nudged me. I lightly rocked and looked over at her. "Hm?"

She smiled up at me. "Sorry for being such a hard ass today."

My eyes widened. "What's this? the great Argo? Capable of apologizing to her obedient subjects?"

The broker snorted. "Well, I'm not letting you eat any cake, but a _Queen_ must aid her people."

I threw my head back in laughter at the not-so-subtle Antoinette reference. "That's the Argo I know."

She laughed as well, rubbing the back of her head. "To tell you the truth, I lied. I haven't been able to get a good night's sleep since the whole death game thing..."

I dwindled my laughter at the revelation, watching as she came to a stop. My eyes looked her over as my legs slowed.

"Argo..."

"I'm scared, Saito. I really am."

She turned to me, revealing a wavering smile. "I may put up this facade that I'm A-okay, but I'm... I'm I-I'm not. Heh... I'm _really_ not." Her voice broke.

Tears welled in her eyes, and I bit my tongue in order to keep my own emotions at bay. Taking a step forward and lunged my self at the girl, wrapping her up in a huge hug.

"Aw man..."

The girl sniffled once before the floodgates opened up and the tears fell. She grabbed my shirt and shook me back and forth, she kicked my legs and pounded on my chest as sobs wracked her body.

I wasn't strong enough and turned away as my own tears began to shed. "Argo..."

"Shut up! Shut up! Don't tell me everything's going to be okay! Don't try and cheer me up! Just _let_ me have this!" She cried.

"Please just...! please okay...?"

I gulped, looking down at her through reddened eyes. She was right. She knew exactly what I was going to do. At this point in time, we still didn't even know what the hell to do with ourselves... How in the world were we going to get out of here?

How...? "...Okay." I said, closing my eyes and letting out a shaky breath. I let out another, reassuring her one last time.

"...ok."

 **Light House Pub and Lodging**

 **8:20 PM**

* * *

It'd been a few hours since everyone had disbanded and gone home. It was at this moment, rare as it might be, that Aincrad finally fell asleep. The streets were-for the most part-barren, and the night lights twinkled like fireflies. Owls hooted, the crickets chirped, and the rest of the night creatures came out to play.

Resting her head against the wooden door outside of the pub, Ashley gave a heavy sigh. It'd been such a long day, and barely anything had been done, but a sense of progress ballooned within her.

This was it. Things were finally moving in the right direction. They were finally making some headway, towards getting out of this game, and apparently, Kibaou actually had enough sense to see that Saito was actually making some form of sense.

With a heavy sigh, the woman opened the pub door and made her way up the stairs. Flipping her hair out of her face, she reached the last step, throwing her hands up over her head in an arch and stretching her body.

Thee satisfying pops of stress melted her body with a subtle form of pleasure, and she gave a relieved sigh.

"Whew..."

When she opened her eyes, however, she'd find a pair of brown eyes staring back. The rest of the body was a silhouette, covered in the darkness of the hallway's corners.

Ashley squinted, taking a step forward. "Hello? Who are you?" She asked, tilting her head.

Silence followed before the figure stepped out of the darkness, revealing themselves. Ashley's eyes widened and narrowed just as quickly.

"Oh. You."

A masculine laugh reverberated from the other end of the hallway as the heckler from earlier in the day made himself known.

"Hey, Ashley. How's it going?" He asked crossing his burly arms.

The woman eyed him weirdly, before slowly making her way towards the door to her room. "Alright, I guess. It's been a long day though. I'm pretty tired."

"Oh yeah." He nodded, closing his eyes. "I get that. We did a lot of work today."

"We did." She smiled over at him. "So how 'bout you go get some rest then?"

The man didn't respond, though his smile remained. Ashley took notice of this, and her nerves rose. She began to speed up the process of entering her room, however, she soon heard a gradual forthcoming of footsteps, turning to see the heckler a mere two feet away.

"Hey, why don't I show you a few cool skills you can use outside of the safe zone, huh?"

"I'm kind of beat today, dude. Maybe tomorrow, yeah?" She swiftly responded, tugging at the knob of her door. She didn't finish getting in, and he'd already taken another step.

"Okay, but hear me out. It could really help you out. Like maybe how to make a shelter. How to dodge a boar's tusks. I could even teach you how to swing a sword or two."

"Look mister." Ashley stood straight, back pressed against the door of her room. "I don't need anything like that. Didn't you hear what the kid said earlier today? I don't want to go out and kill things? Give me some boar hide and I'll make you a nice protective chest piece. But-"

"Look, you're not listening, Ashley-"

"No, you're not. I don't want to-"

"Just hear me out."

"No! Leave me alo-"

 _Phoosh._

In mere moments, the man had his hand gripped over Ashley's mouth, his other arm barring her throat. A wild glint shone in those black eyes, as he examined her.

"You... you will not screw this up for me. For us..."

"Mmm!" She screamed under the guise of his hand, a scream he would madly chuckle at. "Don't worry, fashion designer. I'll make a warrior out of you yet."

"MMMM! MMM-"

Ashley kicked and thrashed as loudly as she could, however, she was losing breath, as the man crushed her windpipe with his arm. She was on the verge of unconsciousness when he brought out the blue crystal, whipping her around so fast her eyes only registered the lights of the hallway. He had his arm around her neck now, choking her hard enough that her words only came out in garbled spurts.

"H-help..." She tried, tears falling down her face. "Help...!"

The man growled by her ear, spitting the phrase as he rose the crystal into the air.

"Teleport, First Forest..."

The last thing to be heard would be the asphyxiated final groans of the tailor before the two vanished in a bright pillar of light...

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ASCII Media Works and Yen Press. We own only our characters and concepts.)

I think I made it!

[ **Comment Corner** ]

RainEStar3 (c. 12) - **Yeah man, haha. 9-5's suck T3T. Like most people, he's definitely not an early bird xD.**

 **DOS SEMANAS!**


	14. Late Arrivals

**_Late Arrivals_**

 **November 8, 2022**

 **10:35 PM**

 **Horunka**

* * *

"So, what're we doing here?"

"Apparently, there's a quest that gifts the player a new sword in this village. I want to get it"

"Can't it like, wait until tomorrow though?"

It was pretty late to be up. The creatures of the night had just awoken, and not many players were out and about. It was quiet when Grimoire and his crew had arrived in the small town of Horunka.

Swathed dirt and grime, the small party had previously decided to find a tavern tomorrow and rest for the next day. However, it seemed as though the mob spawns had been significantly lesser in number than in the beta, a note Grimoire made sure to keep.

 _'Someone must've defeated the Alpha.'_ He thought, turning to his group of four.

"Alright, guys. Welcome to Horunka." He grinned, spreading his arms wide as they passed through the town gates.

In comparison to the Starting City, Horunka was pea-sized. It was a village, the only one close enough to the Town of Beginnings to be considered a "starting point" as well. To the road to get here, however, wasn't easy for a beginner.

The mobs, especially «Dire Wolves», became increasingly aggressive the closer players were to the village. If not for Pargod's protection, Royce's quick calculation, Hyperion's swift work, and Grimoire's careful leadership, the group would've probably had a more troublesome time than they did.

"Alright, Grimoire," Pargod said, slipping one strap of his shield over his shoulder, and dusting off his pants.

"We've made it here. We should see the quest giver and get started on this quest immediately."

"I'm with Pargod," Hyperion said, lightly resting lightly against her back foot. "We should get ahead of the others. We need to get stronger if we're ever going to make strides towards this goal."

"You guys are right, but..." Royce looked over the two of them with his dead eyes, mouth curling into a slight pout.

Grimoire knew what Royce wanted to say, smile persisting. Wrapping his hand around his scabbard, Grimoire cautiously sheathed his longsword.

"No."

The words hit Hyperion and Pargod, the two looking to each other, as Hyperion returned with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean no?"

"We need to rest," Grimoire said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. "There's a tavern just a block down from here. We're going to rest and then tackle this quest tomorrow."

"But there's no need," Pargod said, eyes narrowing. "We're fine to move on. We need to unless you want other players to nab up these quests first."

"The quest we're taking doesn't have an acquisition limit. We'll be fine, Pargod." He said, looking between the two of them.

"Right now we need to get some rest. We've been traveling through that forest all day, and we're tired."

Hyperion stepped forward "Grimoire, this is-"

Suddenly, her vision blurred, and Hyperion wouldn't be able to see the ground's swift approach. Pargod dropped to catch her, but Grimoire there, just a tad quicker, letting the girl fall into his arms.

"Guh..." Hyperion gasped as her body stopped its downward motion. She managed to gain back her vision, shaking her head and blinking once, then twice, to gather her bearings.

"What-"

"You sprained your ankle a while back." Royce sighed, resting his iron spear against his shoulder. "Being the hard head that you are, though, you didn't say anything about it, which is why neither did I?"

Hyperion's face went red as she gritted her teeth. "Why you..."

"Come now, Hyperion." Grimoire sighed, giving her a weary smile. "We were all worried for you. But you kept a straight face and fought through the pain. But now we're here, we're safe, and you need to keep off that foot."

Royce looked over at Pargod and kicked his spear into both hands. "You too, big guy. We've never used weapons in our lives. This is our very first time doing so. Well, second for like one-fourth of us." He offhandedly acknowledged Grimoire.

"You were taking the brunt of the hits for not just the group, but Hyperion in particular." He said, eyes narrowing similar to Pargod's a minute ago.

"You noticed her struggling as well, and you did your best to keep her out of harm's way."

Pargod closed his mouth tight, staring at Royce for another moment, before looking to Hyperion, and then away.

He said nothing, and Hyperion bit her lip, lowering her head.

Royce sighed and put away his spear, reaching up and scratching the back of his head. He was just stating facts. Both of them were trying their best, but they were tired, and they needed to rest.

Grimoire stayed silent throughout Royce's observation, speaking up only moments after.

"You have remarkable strength, Hyperion. But you always have to remember that you're not in this alone. Once you agreed to achieve this goal with me, we became partners. That means we're going to rely on each other, trust each other."

His eyes looked over her, watched a single tear run down her cheek. "I know. I know you want to show us that you're strong too... but that's just it."

Hyperion looked up at him, giving the man a tear-filled glare, red-eyes staring him down. Yet, Grimoire persisted.

"You don't need to try so hard to show us what we've seen in you from the very beginning."

Royce cracked a small smirk. "You got guts, kid. Straight heart."

Pargod raised his head giving a single nod.

"You are a brave young woman, Hyperion. We have never doubted that, and we never will."

Hyperion's bottom lip quivered as she looked around the group. To feel acknowledged... that was all she wanted. For people to know she could hold her own and contribute to the cause, for people to see her not for her status, but for what she could do with her own two hands.

To hear the members of her party, people she'd literally just met hours ago, praising her on her mere efforts alone, Hyperion couldn't help but smile.

Wiping her tears, Hyperion gave each of them a grateful nod. "Thank you."

Grimoire grinned. "Come on, then." He said, raising her up to her feet and helping her with her balance. If this was any other person, Grimoire would've assisted to carry them to the lodging area. But, knowing Hyperion, she'd wholeheartedly refuse.

Instead, Royce draped her arm over his shoulder, being as Pargod and Grimoire were too tall, and together the four of them would make their way towards the tavern.

"Ya know, I'm tired too, right? Why do I have to help her?"

"Oh stop blubbering. You're getting major gentleman points right now."

"Indeed, you'll become a civil young man in no time.

"But..." Royce pouted and Hyperion giggled apologetically.

The guy raised his head to the sky.

 _'...I can't buy anything with gentleman points though.'_

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ASCII Media Works and Yen Press. We own only our characters and concepts.)

Since I won't be here this Sunday! I'll just update for you guys now! :) Have fun with this! Instead of our normal two-week schedule, I'll be posting the second to last chapter of this arc next week Friday!

Thanks for sticking with me so far! Got plenty more in store for ya'll! I'm out!

 **VRIJDAG!**


	15. The Third Degree

_**The Third Degree**_

 **November 9, 2022**

 **9:45 AM**

 **Town of Beginnings/Starting City**

 **Reiha (Ren) Takagi**

* * *

I'd literally just gotten back into bed from morning practice, and there it was, someone rapping their annoying knuckles against my door.

I draped the covers over my head, wondering if they'd go away if I stayed really quiet. For a moment, I thought I was in the clear. Then the knocking came again, and I rolled my eyes to the heavens.

 _'Jesus, what?!'_

I thought violently, ripping off the covers and groggily throwing myself to my feet, walking to the door and swinging it open.

"What, Kirie?" I frowned tiredly. "Can't it wait until, like, three hours from now?"

"No, Ren." Kirie sighed, tying up her light blonde hair into a ponytail. She was dressed in the same baggy white shirt as last night and her brown beginner's skirt. She didn't have shoes on and honestly looked like she'd just gotten out of bed herself.

"Apparently, someone's been kidnapped."

My frown deepened, and I had half a mind to close the door. "How many times do we have to deal with this...?" I mumbled, raising my hand to rub my eyes.

"I'm not waking Tohru up, he's exhausted."

Kirie nodded finishing her ponytail and wringing out her arms. "Good, let him rest. This has to do with us, come on." She said, leaning forward and slapping my backside before proceeding to head down the stairs.

"Chop chop."

I yelped a little bit, watching her descend the stairs. I sighed and rolled my eyes closing the door behind me and, begrudgingly, getting ready for what I could already assume would be the longest day ever...

 **5 minutes later**

I arrived at the last step, clad in the same black long sleeve and green cargos I had on yesterday and the day prior. The only difference was the lack of shoes.

My hair was tied up in a bun and I pulled a red lock over my ear, looking around the ground floor of Misty Hills.

The only person there was Kirie. She was checking the shield straps she'd slung over her shoulder, looking up at the sound.

"Finally. Come on, let's go."

"Wait, go where?"

"The Marketplace." Kirie said, eyes averting my gaze. "You know Ashley? The tailor?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, didn't Argo and Saito resolve all of that, though?" I asked, opening my inventory to put on some footwear.

"Wait..." My eyebrows raised. "Is she the one...?"

Kirie gave one nod and I felt for my chest. "Again? Fuck again?!" I grit my teeth, feeling as my boots materialized over my feet.

I had half a mind to equip a sword as well because apparently people just didn't get it... My better sense of judgment opted against it, however, and soon we were out of the door.

The first person we'd see outside of the tavern would be Raika.

He was leaned against one of the pillars that held up the entrance, taking a long look into the distance.

"Raika?" I asked, garnering his attention.

He looked over his shoulder, giving Kirie and I a small smile. "Goodmorning you too..." He said, a sigh following.

"Or at least, I thought it would be."

"Ashley got-"

"Yes, I know. I know." He said, turning his body so he fully faced us. "Saito, Argo, and the others have already gone on ahead. Go. Meet up with them."

"Shouldn't you come too?" Kirie asked, stepping up next to me.

Raika shook his head. "My first, and only responsibility is towards my daughter." He said, his smile returning.

"I'll take care of the kids. You two go on ahead, save the day as you've done time and time again."

Kirie and I looked at each other, before giving him a look of assurance, proceeding down the stairs and into the street.

"You got it."

"Keep Tohru safe for me!"

With Raika watching us, we hurried towards our destination, the famed Marketplace...

 **14 minutes later**

We weren't even in the general area before the invasive sounds of arguments and untidy clamor crammed into our ears.

"Jesus..." I breathed, stepping onto the scene, with Kirie close behind.

The Marketplace was a mess.

There were crates of food destroyed, tables turned over, arguments and fights in every corner, and two very distinct sides, on the verge of collision.

One side held the spiky-headed Kibaou, who Saito had told me about the night before. Apparently, he was heavily against people who didn't want to acquire any combat-based skills, better known as "non-players", and favored aggressive progression using what he knew, or thought he knew, would get us out of this game as quickly as possible.

I honestly had to agree with him on that. I, myself, wasn't going to try and invest all my skill points into Cooking, or Sewing. But at the same time, I wasn't going to condemn the ones who were.

Because what Kibaou was thinking of was one way, out of what I knew were millions of others, all swimming inside a certain brown-haired boy's head.

Speaking of, "There's Saito." Kirie said, pointing towards the person, standing in between the two clashing sides.

Behind him, Tamashi had his hands spread, the black-haired boy yelling about with gritted teeth and strong arms barring between the two sides. We quickly made our way over, and I watched as Saito started arguing with Kibaou, then turned his head to the other side, and had a much calmer conversation with a timid, blue-haired chick.

 _'Who's she?'_ My thoughts went, and I found myself frowning, just a little bit. Thankfully, I caught myself, narrowly dispelling those thoughts as I arrived on the scene.

People were shoving themselves forward, and only Saito, Tamashi, Agil, a red-haired man-who I assumed to be Klein-, and a group of men, known also as Klein's close friends from the real world, were able to keep them at bay.

Kirie and I forced our way through.

"Watch it."

"Move!"

"Outta the way!"

The process took longer than expected, but we were finally at the center of the opposition. Saito's back was turned, but that was nothing a harsh yank wouldn't fix.

"What?!" Saito yelled as he was spun around, only to find out it was us. That didn't better his mood.

"Ren. "

"What's going on, Saito?" I asked, looking around as my body was tossed around the argumentative sides.

"Ashley was kidnapped. One side believes the other did it, the other swears they didn't. Confusion and anger- Hey calm down!"

"Oh, hey guys!" Tamashi chimed in from behind Saito, managing to keep two gentlemen from butting heads, literally.

"Sup?!"

"Nothin much!" Kirie squawked back, and with a glance back, I could tell she had half a mind to undo her shield.

But that wouldn't help any. I looked to Saito as he'd gone back to talking to the blue-haired girl, then looked around at the surrounding chaos. We'd spent days trying to get over this rut. These past few days weren't easy, and I finally thought we were on the right track.

We all did.

But then this had to happen, someone had to go and fuck it up. World peace really was just a figment of one's imagination, wasn't it? In this week alone, I'd seen the true colors of humanity more times than I'd ever like to truly admit.

And sometimes, it sickened me, not only other peoples actions, or even lack thereof, but my own as well. It was so easy for me to abandon someone for the safety of myself and another. It was so easy to prey on the weak and assert dominance when you knew you had the upper hand.

The bullies and Mia, The men stalking the church, the ones who kidnapped Tamashi's sister, Skies's brother... and now this.

Now, this...

Did people just not learn. Were we just destined to repeat the same mistakes? Couldn't we just fucking evolve?

Just a little bit?

My frown deepened as I reached out and grabbed Saito's shoulder. "Saito!"

"Huh?!" Brown hair threw itself around as Saito whipped his head over his shoulder. "Ren, Kirie, kinda busy!" He managed to jest, a weary smirk on his face.

"Just come on, and bring that chick with you."

"I'm clearing a path!" Kirie cried out, beginning to push her hands out. Kirie wasn't as physically strong as say Tamashi or Agil, but one thing she sure did have was tenacity. When that girl fought, she fought till her last.

And I will never forget that day when she had my back at the church. She fought like a wild dog for those kids, even when she'd resolved that no one else was going to help us. For that, I would always respect her.

Saito looked back. "Tamashi, Agil, Klein!"

"We got this!" Tamashi grunted, shoving someone's leather gear away. Agil was trying to create a clear line between each side, with Klein and his friends aiding as well.

"Go ahead, you guys!" Agil's voice boomed in its baritone presence.

Seeing Klein managing a nod, Saito turned fully, taking the blue haired girl's hand and following our lead.

It would take some time, but we were finally out of the fray, and could talk without screaming our genitals off.

"Okay, Ashley's gone, Marketplace in disarray-"

"Right, right." Saito sighed, looking over at the blue-haired girl. She looked at us timidly, and I frowned once again.

"Who's she?" Kirie asked, stepping up beside me.

Saito thumbed over to the girl. "This is Taylor. Apparently, she heard a commotion outside of her hotel room the night prior but was too scared to investigate. She thinks it might have something to do with Ashley's disappearance."

"It does!" Taylor squeaked, clasping her hands together. "I-I heard it, I heard her! I know I did... Her screams... her fear... I... I heard it..."

The girl looked terrified as if the very memory would haunt her forever. Kirie and I looked at each other before my friend gave a sigh of her own.

"Why didn't you come to us first? Did you tell anybody?"

"Yeah, a woman named Rosalia. She's a nice lady..."

Kirie froze, raising an eyebrow as if something had dawned on her. She crossed her arms, placing her pointer and thumb finger on her chin.

"Hm."

"And this whole thing spiraled out of control after that." Saito quickly wrapped it up, and I ran a hand through my hair.

"We need to find her," I said.

"We do, but we don't even know who this guy is." Saito rubbed his face, "and Kibaou's being too stubborn to give up a name."

I shot a look at the contentious cactus, currently trying to push his way past Agil.

"I'll be right back." I muttered.

Not a moment later, and I had headed right into the fray. People were shoving on all sides, and I could barely make my way. So I decided to do the only thing that made sense. I started shoving back. I was tired of being polite.

I shoved one girl on her ass and stepped over like I'd just slammed the sickest dunk, before seeing Kibaou.

"Hey!" the girl screeched.

I rolled my eyes and continued on. I'd entered on his side of the confrontation, so it wasn't that hard to reach him, all mindless manhandling aside.

"Kibaou!" I called out. The second time around he heard me, but I wouldn't give him a chance to look away, grabbing at his collar with two hands, I yanked back with all my might.

"Ah!"

The man fell back on his bum, and I made sure to loudly grunt, making my point. He hit the ground hard and I pulled him, dragging him across the ground. He reached back to grab for me but I leaned all the way back.

When I let him go, I raised my foot, slamming it down against his chest. He laid flat against the ground as the crowd on his side dispersed, gasps flittering about.

Agil and Tamashi had stopped needing to mediate, staring at the scene dumbfoundedly. Klein and his friends had also done the same, the crowd behind them quieting down.

"What the fuck!" Kibaou cursed, trying to raise himself up. My foot pressed down further and I glared down hard.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!"

"NO!" I yelled back, making sure my other foot was out of his legs way. "I DON'T GIVE A RAT'S ASS ABOUT WHOSE FAULT IT WAS!"

My voice carried throughout the Marketplace and my glare rose, spanning the length of the entire area. I wanted everyone to make sure that I wasn't only talking to Kibaou.

"There's a woman missing! She's kidnapped by some idiotic asswipe who thinks it's okay to bully others into getting his way, and you guys are sitting here arguing like fucking animals!"

KIbaou growled and snapped, but there wasn't much I would let him do. I knew he could feel how angry I was. If he wanted to try something, it would do him good to know I wasn't going to respond kindly.

Especially not now.

I lowered my head and my foot dug deeper into his chest cavity. He groaned, and my glare tightened.

"I. Need. A. Name."

Silence wracked the marketplace. But I didn't care. Something had to be done, and this was it. A compromise wasn't always the best way to go. Saito would always argue that there was another way, but we didn't have time to find it.

I did what needed to be done.

Kibaou struggled a bit more, trying his best to look tough in front of everybody, but after a few seconds, he must've realized the jig was up.

"Kobatz..." He finally spat out. "...his name is Kobatz. K and a Z."

I looked over at Saito, shouting his name, spelling and all. He stared at me, that tired smirk of his lingering for just a moment. He knew would've disagreed if I told him what I was going to do, but the results spoke for themselves.

Tapping Kirie, Saito reiterated the name for her as she typed it in.

Moments later they had a hit, and my foot left Kibaou's chest. He quickly scrambled up, growling as he took a step forward.

I parroted the move, getting all up in his grill. "Try it bub. I dare ya..."

He was red in the face, and I couldn't help but be amused, even if it just a little bit. Looking around, Kibaou harrumphed and shoved past me, heading on his way.

I watched him go, before turning to the group, Klein, his posse, Agil, and Tamashi began to regulate the crowd, asking them for assistance. It seemed that single argument was the driving force for the sides.

Either way, the place was a mess, a woman was missing, and nothing was getting done. I was not sorry for what I did, neither would I ever be.

Heading back over, I asked. "So where is she?"

"First Forest..." Saito said, laughing tiredly. "I am _so_ tired of that place..."

"I bet." a new voice spoke up. I turned quickly, to see the faces of Argo and Irene. The two flashed us a smile and Kirie tilted her head.

"Where the hell have you guys been?"

"I was gathering info from the other residents of the Lighthouse Pub and Lodging. Irene tagged along."

"Yello. So did we find her?!" The orangette asked enthusiastically, looking over Kirie's shoulder Argo sneaking around my end.

Saito nodded.

"Yeah, we did." He said, looking up at me.

We both shared a determined look, and with a nod of my own, I looked around at our little group.

"Alright. Let's go get her back."

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** Sword Art Online (Novel) is owned by Reki Kawahara, abec, ASCII Media Works and Yen Press. I own only my characters and concepts.)

I'm so bad at this. So sorry for the week late chapter guys. Just for that, this Friday I'll be posting another one.

The First Week Arc's coming to a close in only two more chapters!


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